How to apply 

Start by completing your Loyola University Chicago application through the Office for Undergraduate Admissions Application Management System. Since you already used this portal when you applied to Arrupe College, you can log in as a returning user. Once you log into the portal, please select the transfer student application.  

The application invites you to submit an optional letter of recommendation and personal essay. If you have a cumulative GPA of less than 2.5, it’s a good idea to submit these optional materials.  

You will not be asked to submit an official transcript. 

If you are a member of Arrupe’s Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) chapter, you must upload a picture of your PTK certificate to receive a renewable $1,500 PTK award.  

Loyola will waive your application, deposit, and, if applicable, on-campus housing deposit fees. In lieu of a deposit, you simply “confirm your enrollment” in your application portal. You should do this only if you are willing to commit to Loyola. 

Deciding whether to start in Fall or Spring 

Although most students who continue at the University begin their program of study in the Fall, it is possible to apply for Spring admission. 

It is important to note that Spring admission may result in fewer scholarship opportunities. Please see “The Arrupe to Loyola Scholarship Process” for more details. 

 

The Arrupe to Loyola Scholarship process 

The Arrupe to Loyola Scholarship is a bundle of institutional awards—many of which are specifically for Arrupe graduates--that you can use to supplement your basic financial aid award package. This section provides a list of the different awards, along with their eligibility requirements. 

When you are planning how to pay for college, you should explore all of your scholarship options, not just these institutional scholarships. 

Timeline 

The Arrupe to Loyola Scholarship application process typically concludes before the end of the Spring semester. You can expect your final award package in late March. 

The Continuum Award 

Continuum is a competitive scholarship awarded by Loyola’s Office for Undergraduate Admissions. Although the size of the Continuum varies, it is usually quite generous. The Continuum Scholarship is renewable for students who meet the University’s Scholarship Renewal Policy.  

Eligibility requirements 

• You must be admitted to a bachelor’s degree program within Loyola University Chicago. 
• You must graduate from Arrupe College by the end of the Summer term before you start your bachelor’s degree program.  
• You must start your bachelor’s degree program in the Fall semester (not the Spring semester). 

If you do not meet these eligibility requirements, you may still be eligible for Merit, and Title IV (Pell, MAP, and SEOG). Additionally, you can apply for a Blackbaud Scholarship at the end of your junior year. 

How to apply 

You will need to complete two different items: a written application and an interview. 

Written application 

Use the application portal.  

The Office of Undergraduate Admissions will post the Continuum application on your admissions portal in early February. Arrupe College will notify you when the window opens. Once the application is available on your admission portal, it is open for two weeks. The written application includes 

• Writing a 700-word essay 
• Submitting a letter of recommendation. (If you already submitted a recommendation letter as part of your admissions application, then you do not need to submit a second letter.)  

Interview 

After you submit your written application, the Office for Undergraduate Admissions will invite you to schedule a 30-minute interview. This interview is a required part of the Continuum application and takes place in late February.  

The Completion Award 

The Completion Award is a non-competitive scholarship, which means that you may be eligible to receive this award if you meet its requirements (see below).  

Capped at $25,000 per year, Completion is used to supplement your basic award package. If your total award package exceeds the amount of tuition you owe, then you can apply this scholarship to fees, insurance, room, board, and other educational expenses. 

Completion is renewable for students who meet the University’s Scholarship Renewal Policy. 

Eligibility requirements 

• You must be admitted to a bachelor’s degree program within Loyola University Chicago. 
• You must graduate from Arrupe College by the end of the Summer term before you start your bachelor’s degree program.  
• You must start your bachelor’s degree program in the Fall semester (not the Spring semester). 
• You must have applied for the Continuum Award.

If you do not meet these eligibility requirements, you may still be eligible for Merit and Title IV (Pell, MAP, and SEOG). Additionally, you can apply for a Blackbaud Scholarship at the end of your junior year. 

How to apply 

You will automatically be considered for the Completion Award once you are admitted to a bachelor’s program. Unlike the Continuum Scholarship, there is no separate application. 

The Transfer Merit Award 

Loyola’s Office for Undergraduate Admissions recognizes students who demonstrated substantial academic merit while at Arrupe. Merit Awards are renewable for students who meet the University’s Scholarship Renewal Policy. 

Eligibility requirements 

This Merit Award is based on cumulative GPA and scales accordingly (AY 22-23): 

• The Presidential Award (Arrupe GPA of 4.0): $23,000 per year 
• The Trustee Award (Arrupe GPA of 3.75): $22,000 per year 
• The Loyola Award (Arrupe GPA of 3.5): $21,000 per year 
• The Dean’s Award (Arrupe GPA of 3.0): $20,000 per year 
• The Rambler Award (Arrupe GPA of 2.75): $12,000 per year 

How to apply 

You will automatically be considered for a Merit Award once you are admitted to a bachelor’s program. Unlike the Continuum Scholarship, there is no separate application.

The Blackbaud scholarships 

These are a range of small scholarships. 

Eligibility requirements 

There are many Blackbaud scholarships, and they have different eligibility requirements depending on your program and major. When you submit your Blackbaud application, you will be considered for all the Blackbaud scholarships for which you are eligible. 

How to apply 

You can apply through the Blackbaud Application Portal. 

This portal opens on March 15. Decisions are sent out in June. 

Note: Most Blackbaud Scholarships are one-time awards. In other words, you should reapply each year, and you may not get the same award that you received last year. 

Seek college advising 

You are required to attend an early college advising appointment once you have confirmed your enrollment at the University. Students register for an early advising appointment through their application portal.  

Not only is early advising an opportunity to learn more about your college and major, but it also allows you to select and enroll in coursework before other transfer students. 

Connect with the Coordinator for Arrupe to Loyola Continuum 

Cristina Alvarez Ramos, Loyola’s Coordinator for Arrupe to Loyola Continuum, will accompany you in your bachelor's degree program. In collaboration with Arrupe’s Graduate Support Coordinator, Colleen Clark, Cristina ensures that all Arrupe alums at Loyola are supported for the duration of their Loyola experience.  

Cristina hosts programming for students who have been admitted to a Loyola bachelor's degree program in the spring and summer. Be on the lookout for invitations to those events.  

You can reach Cristina at calvarez4@luc.edu.  

Research your Loyola major 

You must complete a total of at least 120 credit hours of undergraduate coursework to graduate from Loyola with a bachelor’s degree. Although this may seem like a lot, keep in mind that you earned 61 of those 120 credit hours at Arrupe. You may already be halfway there! 

Since you will have already completed your core requirements at Arrupe College, most of your remaining 59+ credit hours of coursework will relate to your major and, if applicable, minor.  

• Major: As an undergraduate student, you must choose at least one major focus of study. Typically, majors consist of 30-36 credit hours of coursework (10-12 classes). Keep in mind that this is an average: some majors require significantly more than 36 credit hours (see below). 
• Minor: in addition to your major, you may also decide to pursue a minor area of study. To minor in a discipline, students are usually required to complete around 15-18 credit hours of coursework (5-6 classes). A minor may be a good option for you if your major is fewer than 45 credit hours. 

You can find information on all of Loyola’s major and minors on the Office for Undergraduate Admission website. 

Estimate your time to degree completion 

Full-time students take 12-18 credit hours (4-6 classes) per semester. Most Arrupe alums can complete their degree requirements in four semesters (two years). 

Students in high credit hour majors may need to extend their time to graduation by a semester or more. Some examples of high credit hour majors include 

• Computer Science: 61-63 credit hours 
• Environmental Science: 68-71 credit hours 
• Engineering: 84 credit hours 
• Neuroscience: 68-75 credit hours 

To estimate your major competition time, divide your major’s credit hours requirement (including remaining prerequisites) by 15. This should give you an idea of how many semesters of full-time enrollment it will take to complete your major. 

• If your estimated major completion time is fewer than 4 semesters, you should meet with a college advisor to determine if a minor or second major is right for you. Keep in mind that you need to earn at least 120 credit hours to graduate with your bachelor’s degree. 
• If your estimated major completion time is 4 semesters or more, you should meet with a collage advisor to map your degree requirements and determine if this timeline is reasonable. If it is not, your advisor should be able to help you identify majors or minors in the field with fewer course requirements. 

Note that a longer graduation timeline may have implications for your financial aid award package. If you are pursuing a high credit major (or a major with many prerequisites), we suggest that you reach out to a Loyola financial aid representative to see how your award package might be affected. 

Consider Loyola’s other graduation requirements 

In addition to your major and minor requirements, you will need to complete additional graduation requirements.

• University requirements - All Loyola University students must complete these requirements in order to earn a bachelor's degree.
• All students must complete an engaged learning requirement (fulfilled by taking a 3-credit hour course).
• All students must complete the University Core, which consists of general education classes. If you graduated from Arrupe, then you have already completed the University Core!
• There are also GPA and credit hour requirements, which you can find in the Undergraduate Studies Catalog.
• College-specific requirements - These will vary based on which school/college you attend.
• For example, some of Loyola's colleges--including the College of Arts and Sciences--require you to take a writing intensive class and complete a foreign language requirement (fulfilled either by earning a grade of a ‘C-’ or higher in a level 102 language course or by passing the language competency exam).
• As another example, Quinlan School of Business requires students to take a set of core business classes.
• To learn about college-specific requirements, first identify which Loyola college you plan to attend (College of Arts & Sciences, Quinlan School of Business, School of Communication, School of Continuing and Professional Studies, School of Education, School of Environmental Sustainability, Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health, Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing, or School of Social Work). Then find your college's website and explore their academic requirements.

Please contact Arrupe College's Post-Secondary Transitions Coordinator, Collen Clark

Application fee waiver 

Students who demonstrate financial need may appeal to have their admissions fee waived.  

If you would like to be considered for a fee waiver, please complete page one of the Request for Transfer Admission Application Fee Waiver before sending it to Joe Drake, Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs, at jdrake1@LUC.edu for his review and signature.   

Official transcripts 

Arrupe will send an official transcript to any college or university free of charge.

To start this process, simply head to your LOCUS Student Homepage, select Academic Records, and then click on Request Official Transcript. 

Letters of recommendation 

A letter of recommendation is an opportunity for an advisor, instructor, or staff member to attest to your academic and personal strengths.  

Who should I ask to write a letter of recommendation? 

It is important to request a letter of recommendation from someone who knows you well enough to write you a personalized letter. This person could be 

• Your Arrupe academic advisor 
• A faculty member who taught you in a class that you did well in 
• The moderator of a student group in which you were an active participant  

It is standard to request a letter of recommendation about a month before its due date. This will give your recommender time to write a thoughtful letter on your behalf. 

What will my recommender need? 

Once someone has agreed to write you a letter of recommendation, it’s good practice to follow up with them by email to confirm 

• The school or scholarship you are applying for 
• How they should submit the letter 
• The letter’s due date 

You may also want to append a list of your personal accomplishments and goals or attach your resume to this email. This will help your recommender identify things that you think they should highlight in your letter. 

Is it appropriate to send my recommender a reminder?  

It is a good idea to send your recommender a reminder a week or two before the letter is due. It is also a common courtesy to send your recommender a thank you email once the letter has been submitted. 

The personal essay 

Admissions officers tend to take the essay component very seriously; it is the one of the few places in the entire application where you can express yourself in your own voice.  

Because the essay is about you, the things you write about (and how you write about them) should reflect your uniqueness as an individual. Pick a topic that you are passionate about and write about that topic in your own voice.  

You will want to set aside at least a few weeks to write, rewrite, and edit your essay so that what you submit is focused, structured, and free of grammatical and syntactical errors. 

Wherever you are in the writing process, the Arrupe Writing Fellows are a resource to you. If not a Writing Fellow, you are encouraged to solicit feedback from someone before submitting your essay. 

Students who earn their associates degree from Arrupe College satisfy the general education core requirements at IAI receiving institutions. 

Transferring to a non-IAI receiving institution 

Transferring to a non-IAI college or university does not mean that your Arrupe coursework won’t transfer. However, it does mean that it is up to the receiving institution to decide whether to accept your coursework as satisfying its degree requirements.  

Transferology is a free online tool that allows you to see how Arrupe coursework has articulated to non-IAI colleges and universities in the past. 

If you plan on transferring to a non-IAI institution, you are strongly encouraged to meet with the Post-Secondary Transitions Coordinator to determine how your Arrupe coursework might transfer and what remaining core requirements you might have.