Frequently Asked Questions

No, you do not. However, you need to have applied to Loyola and submitted your financial aid forms to be eligible for consideration. Only students who are admitted into Loyola, which is a process separate from the program admittance process, may be selected for participation in the Hyman Science Scholars Program.

The Hyman Science Scholars application is separate from the Common App. The only information we receive from your Loyola/CommonApp application are your basic demographic information (name, school, etc), and your transcript. If some of your Common App answers seem to be relevant for your HSS application essays you are welcome to re-use those answers; we won't know, and we don't mind. The essays for our application are more focused to our program than many of the essays you would have answered for the Common App, however, so be sure you are answering the questions we are asking to have the best chance at admittance to the program.

You can still apply, but depending on how late your application is you may either have to wait awhile for a decision or it may be too late to be admitted to the program and your only option may be to join the waitlist. Reviews of applications outside our normal application review periods are only done sporadically.

Applications are not reviewed until the initial application deadline. We expect that the first round of acceptances for early action students will be sent in mid-January; regular decision applicants will hear by early March. Students who may be admitted to the program but have not yet been admitted to the university will hear after they’ve received their university admission. If you have not heard from us by these dates, it does not necessarily mean that you have not been selected; you may hear from us in a later round of acceptances. Even if you are not admitted to the program, you will get an email to inform you if you are waitlisted, or if you have not been accepted or waitlisted. All notifications will be sent to the email address you used to submit your application to the Hyman Science Scholars Program. Be sure to check your spam folder, or search your email for the program name if you have not heard, as sometimes these emails are incorrectly marked by your email server.

Yes, you can apply to both programs and if you are accepted into both you can participate in both of them. These programs are completely separate from each other, and require separate applications. 

The Honors Program is open to all undergraduate students at Loyola, regardless of major.

Yes, you can apply to both programs if relevant to your major, and if you are accepted into both you can participate in both of them. These programs are completely separate from each other, and require separate applications. 

Sellinger Scholars is only for Business students, so the only majors who can participate in both of these programs are students considering a double major in both a business major and a HSS major. 

No, you are not making any commitments by applying. If you are admitted to the Hyman Science Scholars Program, you will then need to either accept or decline that admittance. This is separate and in addition to your decision to attend to Loyola, although of course you cannot be part of the program if you either are not admitted to Loyola or do not choose to attend Loyola University Maryland.

Each spring semester we will open applications to current first-year students if there are any open spots in the program. The majority of students are admitted when they apply to Loyola, so if you are an incoming student interested in the Hyman Science Scholars Program please apply now instead of waiting. Current first-year students who have taken courses required for the program majors will receive a special link in email to apply if they are interested, usually in March during their first year. However, financial aid for current first year students who apply to the program is not guaranteed, unlike for students applying as incoming first year students who qualify for financial aid.

Students transferring from another university into a program major may be eligible to join the Hyman Science Scholars Program. Please contact the director at hss@loyola.edu to discuss and apply. Hyman Science Scholars who join as transfer students will join the cohort of students in their graduating class, and will generally begin in a probationary semester and taking the sophomore seminar. After that probationary period is completed, if the student has met the requirements they will be formally admitted into the scholars program.

Yes, we welcome Hyman Science Scholars Program applications from all students, regardless of their citizenship status. Non-US citizens are also eligible to receive the program scholarship if they demonstrate financial need.

Scholarships offered to non-US citizens accepted to the program are funded by Loyola University Maryland, not NSF.

Yes. As long as one of your majors is in the Hyman Science Scholars Program, then it does not matter what your other major is, or if you take on any minors. If you decide to create an interdisciplinary major with a program major, you will also still be eligible for the program.

Yes, you can apply to both programs and if you are accepted into both you can participate in both of them. We have already had a number of Hyman Science Scholars successfully participate in both programs. The director will be in touch the summer before your first year about how your two sets of Messina requirements will be met. Otherwise, your Honors requirements do not interfere at all with your HSS requirements.

Yes, you can participate in both progrems if you have a double major of a business major and an HSS major. If you drop either of those majors, you would have to drop the associated program. 

No, engineering is not included in the program. However, often students are not sure of their major when they first go to college. Many students interested in engineering are also interested in at least one of our Hyman Science Scholars Program majors (mathematics, statistics, physics, computer science, and data science), as each have overlap with engineering. It is possible in the first year to take courses relevant to all of these majors before the student decides. Loyola actually encourages this type of exploration, which is one of the reasons that students do not officially declare a major until the fall semester of their second year. If a student is considering any of the program majors as another option, they should still consider applying to the program.

No, currently neither of these programs are part of HSS. Information systems is in the business school, so as it is not a science program it can't be included. Forensic science does not currently overlap enough academically with our other majors for its inclusion, either. However, if you are considering one of these majors as well as a HSS program major (mathematics, statistics, physics, computer science, and data science), you could still apply to the program and make progress toward both majors in your first year until you decide which one is right for you.

Yes! We primarily choose Hyman Science Scholars based on their academic achievements, and only after that analysis do we determine what type of monetary support to offer in addition to a place in the Scholars program. A scholar’s financial need is determined by the Financial Aid office. If you are accepted to the program, you will receive a letter inviting you to the program and noting if you will receive financial aid as part of the scholars program. The details of the financial aid package will be received from financial aid separately.

The financial aid office will determine your level of need based on the required form you fill out and turn in, such as the FAFSA. All information on the forms and deadlines can be found on the Financial Aid website. We cannot offer financial assistance as part of your admittance to the Scholars program if you do not turn in these forms in a timely manner. Your financial need is determined by the financial aid office, which then informs if you receive a program scholarship if you are admitted to the program.

Yes, we welcome Hyman Science Scholars Program applications from all students, regardless of their citizenship status. Non-US citizens are also eligible to receive the program scholarship if they demonstrate financial need.

Scholarships offered to non-US citizens accepted to the program are funded by Loyola University Maryland, not NSF.