Admission Process Overview

We’re honored by your interest in DeLaSalle. In recent years, the number of applications to enter DeLaSalle have tripled and our enrollment has more than doubled. In 2020-21, we received over 400 applications for ninth grade admission and over 50 applications for potential transfer admission.

Applications for potential admission to DeLaSalle’s Class of 2026 are due by Friday, February 11, 2022. We will continue to welcome and evaluate applications throughout the summer, and we will be placing additional students as spots open up. Please reach out to our Admissions Office team to learn more. We require four pieces to complete an application for admission. We will still accept applications after this deadline, but there are no guarantees that space will be available for late applicants.

 

Admission to 9th grade is based on a review of the following:

(Click on the link to access the relevant Admission document)

  1. The 8th grade applicant must complete the Application for Admission.
  2. Submission of middle school transcripts, to include assessment from grades six and seven and as much of the 8th grade year as possible. The “Release of Records” is to be completed and signed by the parent and submitted to the applicant’s middle school office to authorize the applicant’s current school to release the student’s records to DeLaSalle.
  3. Each applicant must submit one letter of recommendation from a grade school teacher regarding academic potential and personal character. NOTE: If the applicant wishes to be considered both for admission and for potential merit scholarship (Presidential scholarships), then the applicant must submit three letters of recommendation, not just one.
  4. DeLaSalle requires all prospective students to take the High School Entrance Exam as one of the four requirements for a complete admission application. For more information, click here.

Ninth grade applications that do not meet initial admission criteria will be evaluated by the Admission Review Committee, co-chaired by the Principal and Vice President for Enrollment, and including the Director of Guidance Counseling, the Dean of Students, the Director of Curriculum and Instruction and other admission and administrative staff. Most applicants will be offered unconditional admission. However, some may be denied admission or offered conditions of admission based upon analysis of additional academic information.

All early applicant applications will receive the Admission Review Committee’s decision within one week’s time and begin registering students for 9th grade shortly thereafter. Families may still apply for 9th grade admission after this date, but they are not guaranteed registration placement. Transfer applicants may apply at any time, and they must also schedule a personal interview with a member of the Admission Review Committee.

 

Admission criteria for students transferring into grade 10, 11, or 12 are as follows:

  1. Provide a current high school transcript
  2. Provide a letter from a high school counselor or teacher attesting to academic potential and personal character
  3. Interview with a member of the admissions committee
  4. If foreign-born, demonstrate competence in English

Transfer students are accepted at the start of the semester, unless there are very special circumstances. To receive a DeLaSalle diploma, 12th grade transfer students must normally be enrolled for the entire year.

Applications for merit-based, Presidential Scholarships are based upon the same criteria as submitted for the admission application, with the added requirement of two additional letters of recommendation. These applications are due by the same February 11, 2022 deadline.

Applications for financial aid grants based on family financial need are to be completed by the parent(s) no later than February 18, 2022 (and preferably by February 11) in order to receive full consideration for many of the scholarship programs). Click here for more detailed information about financial aid, including a step-by-step guide about how to apply for financial aid and answers to frequently asked questions.

DeLaSalle, along with other Twin Cities Catholic high schools, contracts with an independent financial aid data service, Tuition Aid Data Services (TADS), to provide family financial need analysis. The TADS application, available by late December either online or in paper form in the DeLaSalle Business Office, must be completed and returned with appropriate documentation and application fee. Please only one application per family.

Need Help?

To receive application materials, seek information, and/or arrange a visit, contact the Office of Admission:

Mike O’Keefe ’78
Executive Director for Enrollment
612.676.7679