High School Counselor’s Guide to Hamline University Admission
Preparing students for the future
We would like to welcome counselors and advisors to learn more about us in this high school counselor’s guide to undergraduate admission to Hamline. We're grateful to everyone working with prospective Hamline students; your guidance is invaluable in helping students explore their educational options. We hope the resources we’ve put together assist you and your students in discovering all that Hamline has to offer.
Our mission is to create a diverse and collaborative community of learners who lead lives of leadership, scholarship, and service. By offering academic programs rooted in a career-oriented education, we set our students up for success with the Hamline Academic Experience and give them opportunities for hands-on learning boosted by academic advising and career prep support through the Career Development Center.
Outside class, we strive for student life to be fun and engaging. We have more than 70 clubs and organizations, along with athletics and spiritual support on a safe and secure campus. Our housing and residential life options are plenty and community-oriented and located amid the Twin Cities, a cultural hotbed of arts and entertainment, dining, and green spaces.
Hamline acknowledges that the land on which we gather and refer to as Minnesota is the traditional and unceded territory of the Dakota and Ojibwe. Read Hamline's full land acknowledgment.
Hamline is a member of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), the Minnesota Association for College Admission Counseling (MACAC), and the Minnesota Association of Counselors of Color (MnACC).
A top-ranked choice
Top-tier education
Hamline is ranked as Minnesota's Best Regional University and 16th in the Midwest by U.S. News & World Report
Learning by doing
of undergrads participate in an internship, collaborative or field-based research, apprentice teaching, and/or service learning
Generous financial aid
of first-time, full-time, on-campus undergraduate students receive Hamline scholarships and/or grants
Applying to Hamline
A complete first-year student application file includes:
- Application and essay: Students can complete the online Hamline application or apply through the Common Application (commonapp.org).
- High school transcript: Transcripts can be sent electronically, emailed to admission@hamline.edu, or sent via mail to the Office of Undergraduate Admission. Students are also welcome to self-report their grades on their application, but an official transcript with graduation date will be required once a student enrolls.
- Letter of recommendation form (PDF): Letters of recommendation are encouraged, but not required. If an applicant chooses to submit one, we suggest that recommenders describe the applicant’s academic achievements, leadership record, and potential for success in college. More than one recommendation is acceptable, but not necessary. For a recommendation to be accepted, it must come directly from the counselor, teacher, or advisor. Recommendations can be submitted in the form of a letter (via the electronic delivery method in place at your school or emailed to admission@hamline.edu), Common Application recommendation form, completed secondary school report form, or teacher recommendation form.
All students admitted to Hamline have until May 1 to consider their offer of admission.
Admission type |
Deadline |
Decisions |
| Early Action | November 1 | Mailed before late December |
| Priority | January 15 | Mailed within four weeks |
| Rolling | After January 15 | As space is available |
| FAFSA/Aid Priority | February 1 | Rolling |
Application checklists
Hamline's admission process is thorough and holistic. We invite prospective students and high school counselors to contact a Hamline admission counselor to discuss our application review process. All first-year students admitted to Hamline have until May 1 to decide and submit an enrollment deposit. For more detailed application checklists, see below.
Financial aid and scholarships
An education at Hamline is a worthwhile investment in the future. We’re proud to provide competitive financial aid and scholarship opportunities for all kinds of students.
An affordable college education
Funding a college education is one of the keys to future success. That's why 100% of first-time, full-time, on-campus undergraduate students receive Hamline scholarships and/or grants, with the average financial aid package in 2023–2024 totaling $46,712*. For those seeking funding through scholarships, we have a wide range of options: Merit scholarships ($26,000–$32,000), talent scholarships, United Methodist scholarships, scholarships for ELS language students, and more. Academic scholarships are renewable annually.
In addition, the Hamline four-year graduation assurance guarantees that first-year students will earn their bachelor’s degree in four years—or we’ll pay the difference. This means savings of up to $40,000–$60,000 in tuition.
Our admission counselors and financial aid team will work with your students to ensure they get the most out of their college experience without sacrificing peace of mind.
Does your student have a special circumstance that the FAFSA does not capture? Call our Admission Office to talk through the next steps to ensure we're doing our best to serve your student's needs.
*For new first-year students enrolled in fall 2023 with financial need, per enrolled student data. This total includes gift aid, work-study, and loans to the students. Hamline Institutional Effectiveness, July 2024
I fell in love with Hamline on my first visit. I walked into the bookstore and I could see myself here—it had a magic to it. When I realized it had a great criminology program, that was it.
Contact information
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Undergraduate Admission
