Admission Requirements

Before you apply, please read the following information carefully:

Thank you for your patience! We always aim to open summer program applications on December 1^st. After a lengthy technical process updating our application, we are proud to say that 2026 applications are open as of January 31, 2026.

Any information submitted through our old application portal was a remnant of our 2025 application cycle. If you submitted through our old portal, you would need to submit a new application, as information from the previous form cannot be rolled over to our new portal.

We are confident that this new application portal will be more user-friendly for students and parents to complete their summer programs application. We recognize that this application cycle may have been somewhat confusing, and we sincerely appreciate your patience and understanding as our programs continue to grow.

Don’t make a mistake that may lead to your application not being reviewed! Applications MUST be complete with all supporting documents attached and submitted before the program deadlines. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that all required materials are uploaded directly into the application system.

Please note: The following materials will not be accepted by email and must be submitted through the online application portal:

• Official Transcripts
• ACT/SAT scores
• Report cards
• Essays

Applicant materials (not including recommendation letters) submitted via email will not be reviewed. Please consult the table below for a list of required materials and deadlines by program.

*SOAR X recommendations ONLY may be submitted via email to summerprograms@xula.edu with the participant’s name in the subject line. Recommendations must come from the recommender, not from the applicant or parent.

*SOAR X recommendations ONLY may be submitted via email to summerprograms@xula.edu with the participant’s name in the subject line. Recommendations must come from the recommender, not from the applicant or parent.

*SOAR X operates on a separate set of deadlines. Please refer to the table below for details.” See photo below:

Age Eligibility

The Star Programs are designed for participants to enroll the summer before they take the corresponding high school course. Because each school’s course progression is different, there is no specific age or grade range for Star Programs. We trust participants and parents to select the program(s) most appropriate for them.

Summer STEM Academy is an introduction to robotics for middle school students. The program is open to rising 6th-8th graders. This program is best for students with no prior experience with LEGO robots or coding.

SOAR X is for rising 11th and 12th graders who are at least 16 years of age. Students cannot have yet earned a high school diploma.

Achieve Dual Enrollment is for current 11th and 12th graders, with 10th graders considered on a case-by-case basis. Students enrolling in the summer term may not have yet earned a high school diploma.

Location Eligibility

The Star Programs & Summer STEM Academy are open to students from anywhere! Room and board is not provided for Star Programs or Summer STEM Academy participants. Non-local participants must secure their own off-campus housing in the New Orleans area. Local students may be eligible for the Gilead Sponsorship. See Gilead page.

SOAR X is open to students from anywhere! SOAR X is our premier residential program, and all participants live on campus. Local students may be eligible for the Gilead Sponsorship. See Gilead page.

 Achieve Concurrent Enrollment is open only to students in the Greater New Orleans Area.

 

All application materials must be submitted electronically with your application. Recommendations ONLY may be submitted via email to summerprograms@xula.edu with the participant’s name in the subject line.

Apply Now

You may register for SOAR X, Star Programs, and STEM Academy programs through Xavier's unified application:

You will be prompted to create an account, which will allow you to save your progress and return to the application at a later time if needed. After creating your account, please click “Start New Application.” A drop-down menu will appear—select “Undergraduate Cycle,” then select the option that applies to you: “Pre-College – SOAR X” or “Pre-College – Star Programs/STEM Academy.”

Step by step portal instructions can be found here: Application Instruction