Admission to Studies

The College teaches a classical liberal arts curriculum built around the disciplines of theology, philosophy and literature, and supported by the study of the classical languages, Latin and Greek. We are joyfully Catholic, and there is no single standard by which the College decides whether to admit a student. In evaluating applications, the College looks for evidence of academic potential and a desire to learn.

Application Information and Requirements

Undergraduate Students

There is no deadline for applications. The College has a rolling admissions policy, which means applications will be considered in the order in which they are received. Application can be made for either the fall or spring semester.

The principal criterion for admission to studies is the judgment of the Admissions Committee that the student applying is capable of pursuing the curriculum successfully and becoming a contributing member of the community.

Applicants must submit official transcripts from each high school or college previously attended, one letter of recommendation, and a completed application (personal information and essay). Report of scores made on standardized tests (SAT, ACT, or GRE) is also required. The College may request additional letters of recommendation if it believes that more information is needed.

The College of Saint Thomas More welcomes home-schooled students. The application process for home-schooled students is essentially the same as the application process for other students. However, home-schooled students must submit, in addition to the materials listed above, the name of the curriculum used in high school. If the applicant has not used a recognized official curriculum, he or she must ensure that the College receives a detailed description of the curriculum that was used. All home-schooled students must, like all other prospective students, submit transcripts.

Status – Matriculated, Occasional, Regular Online, Occasional Online

The College of Saint Thomas More designates students at Matriculated, Occasional, Regular Online, or Occasional Online.

Students who wish to take courses at the Fort Worth campus and declare themselves as seeking a CSTM degree are designated “Matriculated” by the College. Matriculated students will meet with their Advisor to develop a degree plan after initial acceptance, and will periodically review their degree plan with their Advisor.

Student who wish to study in the College but are not declared as working toward a degree are designated “Occasional” by the College. Occasional student status will normally be granted to persons who qualify under one of the following categories:

1. those who are above the age of 18 years-old and do not wish to take a degree in the College, whether or not they hold a degree from another College or university, but who wish to occasionally take courses from at the College;
2. those who are otherwise qualified but currently matriculated in another college or university, who wish to take one or more courses at the College but do not wish to seek the CSTM degree; and,
3. those who are appropriately qualified high school students and who may enroll in courses as special students. (See “Concurrent Registration.”)

Students who wish to take course from CSTM Online and declare themselves as seeking a CSTM degree are designated “Regular Online” by the College. Regular Online students will communicate with a CSTM Online Advisor to develop a degree plan after initial acceptance, and will periodically review their degree plan with the Online Advisor.

Student who wish to take CSTM courses online but not declare themselves as working toward a degree are designated “Occasional Online” by the College. Occasional Online student status will normally be granted to persons who qualify under one of the following categories:

1. those who are above the age of 18 years-old and do not wish to take a degree in the College, whether or not they hold a degree from another College or university, but who wish to occasionally take online courses from at the College;
2. those who are otherwise qualified but currently matriculated in another college or university, who wish to take one or more online courses at the College but do not wish to seek the CSTM degree; and,
3. those who are appropriately qualified high school students and who may enroll in online courses as special students. (See “Concurrent Registration.”)

Concurrent Registration

Appropriately qualified high school juniors and seniors (with approval from their school counselors and parents) and appropriately qualified home-school students (with approval from their parents) are allowed to take one class per semester for college credit. Students interested should contact the CSTM Office of Enrollment Management.

Placement in Classical Studies

Entering students who have previously studied a classical language may receive placement beyond the initial course by providing transcripts showing previous classical language course studies and by conferring with the Fellow in Classical Studies. Students who offer for consideration courses in which their grade was lower than B will be asked to take the placement examination.

Please send all application materials to:

Office of Admissions
The College of St. Thomas More
3020 Lubbock Ave.
Ft. Worth, Texas 76109

Or send an email to admissions@cstm.edu

Transferring Credit to the College

Students transferring into the College must send official transcripts from each college or university they attended to the Admissions Office. Transfer students’ college transcript(s) will be evaluated for credits transferable to the College of St. Thomas More. Transfer students should meet with the Dean and Registrar to complete a degree plan.

The College reserves the right to determine the acceptability of transfer credits in accord with its mission and goals. The College of Saint Thomas More’s transfer credit policy, based on the mission and goals of the College, is as follows:

1. The College may accept up to sixty (60) hours of coursework completed at other colleges or universities.
2. College-level courses in mathematics, natural science, social or behavioral science, theology, philosophy, classical languages, and literature may be eligible for transfer credit (up to the number of credits contained in the respective discipline in the college curriculum).
3. College-level courses in non-classical, basic languages may be eligible for transfer credit toward the classical languages component of the College curriculum (up to 12 credits), since such courses develop language skills in ways sufficiently similar to the classical languages.
4. College-level courses in theology, philosophy, literature, Western civilization, U.S. history, U.S. government, and general humanities may be eligible for transfer credit towards the College Seminar component of the College curriculum (up to 8 credits).
5. It is up to the Dean, the Registrar, and the senior Fellow in the relevant discipline to determine the equivalency between potential transfer courses and courses in the College curriculum. The general standards for determining the equivalency, and therefore eligibility for transfer, of potential transfer courses are (1) similarity in learning experience, (2) similarity in content, and (3) similarity in point of view. Because all the courses in the College curriculum serve the College’s Mission by fulfilling various purposes relative to that Mission, a potential transfer course that covers the same subject-matter as the corresponding course in the College curriculum but differs from it in point of view may be ineligible for transfer credit. So that the College may better determine equivalency, students may be asked to give accounts of and/or syllabi of courses whose credit they seek to transfer.
6. Regardless of the number of transfer credits, students will be required to complete the following courses of the College curriculum: Western Theological Tradition I, Western Theological Tradition II, Philosophy of Nature, Epistemology, Epic I, Tragedy and Comedy, and, if a full-time student, one of the classical languages each semester.
7. Academic credit is not granted for experiential learning, professional certificates, or advanced placement (AP) studies. However, in the case of advanced placement studies in the classical languages, although credit is not granted, advanced placement may be granted.
8. Credits earned more than ten (10) years before enrollment at The College of Saint Thomas More will not be accepted.

Advanced Placement

Since each course has an important place in the curriculum, it is the policy of the College not to award advanced standing based on advanced placement examination results or experiential learning. An exception is made in the case of advanced placement (AP) studies in the classical language courses, for which advanced placement but not credit is granted.