15 Terms to Know for Completing Your Application

Admissions Counselor

  • Did you know that you have a SAGU Admissions Counselor assigned specifically to you ? This person will serve as your go-to for all things SAGU as you navigate the college application and decision process.

Application Fee

  • Most colleges and universities require an application fee for your application to be processed. SAGU’s application fee is $35 . Payment is not required to submit the application , but is required before an admission decision is made. If you’re unable to pay the $35 fee, talk to your admissions counselor.

FAFSA

  • The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is the government-provided application for need-based funds. The FAFSA gathers information about your family’s financial resources to determine your expected family contribution (EFC). EFC is the amount you and your family are expected to contribute toward college expenses in a given year. The FAFSA provides SAGU’s Financial Aid Office with the necessary eligibility information to award items like scholarships, grants, work-study, and Stafford loans that help you pay for college. Be sure to include SAGU’s school code (003616) on your FAFSA.

Faith & Lifestyle

  • You’ll notice some questions on SAGU’s admissions application called “Faith and Lifestyle.” As a part of our holistic admissions process, SAGU not only cares about the academic endeavors of applicants, but also how faith impacts their day-to-day lives . These questions help the Admissions Committee determine if applicants are a good fit for SAGU’s learning and living environment. As you complete the application, answer these questions honestly. If you have questions about them, your admissions counselor is a great resource to answer them.

Freshman

  • A freshman is a student who has never attended college , has attended college prior to high school graduation (such as dual credit), or has only attended college the summer immediately following high school graduation. You’ll want to select “freshman” on your application if you meet one of the criteria above.

Homeschool Admissions

  • At SAGU, we’re proud to be a home school friendly university . If you are homeschooled, you will need to submit a final high school transcript for grades 9-12 that contains grades for each class, a final GPA, an administrator’s signature, and your graduation date. Homeschool students also need to submit test scores, so they should register to take the ACT or SAT. You can read more about homeschool admissions here .

Intended Major

  • Choosing a major can be intimidating, but you’re not nailed down to the major you choose on your application ! If you know what you want to major in, that’s great. Be sure to choose that degree program from the list provided on your application. If you have no idea, that’s okay too. Select “undecided” on the application and your Admissions Counselor can talk through your options with you.

International Admissions

  • International students have very different requirements when applying for admission to college, but that doesn’t mean it has to be a confusing! Surrounded by a missions-minded culture, SAGU is a warm home for international students from across the globe. International students complete a two-step process for enrollment at SAGU : 1) complete the items needed for acceptance and 2) complete the items needed to obtain a student VISA. For more detailed information, click here .

Official vs. Unofficial Transcript

  • Both official and unofficial transcripts serve important purposes during the admissions process. Unofficial transcripts can be used to make an admissions decision. A transcript received directly from an applicant by email, fax, or before graduation is considered unofficial. Official transcripts must be received by SAGU from the high school or college directly via sealed mail or by an official electronic delivery system and are required prior to enrollment. When submitting your final official high school transcript, make sure it includes your graduation date!

Pastoral Recommendation

  • A pastoral recommendation is required for a student to enroll at SAGU and is different from an academic recommendation from a teacher. When completing your application, you’ll need to provide the name and contact information for your pastoral recommender. The individual you choose must be a pastor or ministry leader from the church you attend , must know you personally, and cannot be related to you. The pastoral recommendation is a form sent directly to your recommender and is completed fully online!

Reapplicant

  • Reapplicants are former students who attended SAGU but have not attended for at least three consecutive semesters (e.g., fall, spring, summer). Because reapplicants have had a yearlong lapse in enrollment, they must reapply and submit any college transcripts from institutions they attended since last being enrolled at SAGU. If you are a reapplicant, make sure to select this option on your admissions application.

Rolling Admissions

  • SAGU has rolling admission. Rolling admission means that admissions applications are evaluated as they are received versus waiting to evaluate all applications after a hard deadline. What does this mean for you? This means that the sooner you apply and complete your admissions file, the sooner you will know if you’ve been accepted .

Term

  • You’ll notice that our admissions application asks when you want to start. This refers to what term you want to begin studying at SAGU. SAGU has a fall start date that begins in August and a spring start date that begins in January . If you list a term on your application, but then want to start sooner or delay your start, your Admissions Counselor can help defer your application.

Test Scores

  • Test scores are required for all freshman and partial-transfer students applying to SAGU. Students can choose to submit ACT or SAT scores, as long as the test was taken in the last 5 years. Some students want to take the ACT or SAT more than once to increase their score. SAGU encourages students to do that! If you submit a new test score after an admissions decision has been made, your file and financial awards will be reviewed again. To learn more about SAGU’s minimum test score requirements, click here .

Transfer

  • A transfer student is one who has attended college beyond the summer immediately following high school graduation . If this is you, make sure to select “transfer” on your admissions application. The high school transcript and test score requirements are waived for any transfer student bringing 21+ credit hours into their SAGU degree program. Instead, cumulative college GPA is used in making an admissions decision.
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