Saint Ursula Academy: An Investment in Young Women's Futures

Saint Ursula Academy (SUA) stands as a premier Catholic college-preparatory high school for young women in grades 9-12, located in the East Walnut Hills neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio. Established in 1910 by the Ursuline Sisters of Cincinnati, SUA has a rich history of providing a challenging and supportive educational environment rooted in Catholic faith and Ursuline values. The academy seeks cultural and socio-economic diversity by drawing students from the entire Cincinnati area.

A Legacy of Academic Excellence

Saint Ursula's hallmark is academic excellence. The academy offers a comprehensive four-year program encompassing English, mathematics, technology, science, social studies, world languages, fine arts, and religion. SUA provides a balanced course load based on individual strengths. With 20 AP/Advanced Courses available, including Biology, Calculus AB, Calculus BC, Chemistry, Computer Science Principles, English Literature and Composition, Environmental Science, European History, French Language and Culture, Human Geography, Latin, Macroeconomics, Physics C, Psychology, Spanish Language and Culture, Statistics, Studio Art, United States Government and Politics, United States History, and World History, students have ample opportunities to pursue their academic interests at an advanced level.

The school emphasizes a challenging college preparatory curriculum. Courses are designed for students to succeed, and caring teachers are passionate about supporting student growth. The academy also has resources to help, like school counselors and the Bulldog Academic Resource Center (BARC), which is staffed by National Honor Society tutors and a math or English teacher.

SUA's innovative schedule, called Experience Excellence: Learning for the Real World, incorporates experiential Minimesters into the student experience.

A Welcoming and Diverse Community

Saint Ursula Academy not only promotes academic excellence, but fosters a welcoming, respectful, and diverse community. The school cares for the whole person as it prioritizes the academic, social, and emotional well-being of every student. SUA graduates are women filled with faith, integrity, and courage, ready to make a positive impact in the world. The administrators, faculty, and staff are dedicated to supporting and empowering every student to become the best version of her unique self.

Saint Ursula is proud of its welcoming environment and supportive family culture. The sisterhood is authentic and intentional. Students, faculty, and staff strive to create an inclusive, warm, and engaging environment where all students feel like they can find their niche. Saint Ursula Academy is the only all-girls school in Cincinnati to draw students from across the tri-state region, with girls from more than 90 previous schools and over 60 zip codes.

Faith, Service, and Leadership

The school's all-volunteer Campus Ministry Council assists in guiding the young women to live for God, sharing His love with others in a spirit of acceptance and compassion. Saint Ursula gives girls free time where they can make decisions about how to use their time. The school works to help students develop life skills, including self-nurturing and setting boundaries.

SUA teachers and the administration work very hard to create leadership opportunities for girls in and out of the classroom to help them become comfortable in leading in a variety of ways and confident they belong in leadership roles.

The Cost of Investing in a SUA Education

As of the 2025-2026 school year, the tuition at SUA is $16,950. In addition to tuition, all families must pay a general fee of $1,500 per year. This fee includes the SUA laptop and help desk support.

Tuition Payment Options

Saint Ursula Academy offers several tuition payment options to accommodate families' financial situations:

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Full Payment: Parents may choose to pay the total tuition and fees prior to or on August 1.
Eleven (11) Installments: Parents may choose to pay the total tuition and fees in eleven (11) monthly payments beginning in July. No interest is charged for parents who choose to make installment payments. FACTS will charge an annual service fee of $50 for those families who select the 11-month payment option.

All tuition payments must be made by ACH withdrawal from a checking account. Saint Ursula Academy will assess a $25 service charge for any checks returned for insufficient funds. FACTS also reserves the right to assess a fee for checks returned for insufficient funds.

Additional Fees

There is an additional fee for students who are enrolled in the Educational Services Program (a program for girls with identified learning disabilities and ADHD). For the 2025-2026 school year, the fee for the Educational Services Program is $5,800.

Financial Assistance, Scholarships, and Grants

Saint Ursula Academy is committed to ensuring that each young woman who enrolls is able to persist and graduate without financial barriers. To accomplish this goal, the academy provides tuition assistance plans and financial aid to qualifying families.

Merit Scholarships

For the Class of 2030, the Saint Ursula Academy Admissions Committee will award academic merit scholarships based on High School Placement Test scores along with the student profile. Students who submit an application and High School Placement Test scores to Saint Ursula Academy by the deadline are automatically eligible for merit scholarships. A separate scholarship application is not required for academic merit scholarships. The amounts awarded are based on the number of applicants scoring in the top ranges, which changes each year.

Students earning scores over the 90th percentile are generally offered an award ranging from $2,000 to $7,000 (top 1%). Many of those awards are renewable over four years. One-year merit awards are also offered to students scoring from the 85-89th percentile. Renewable merit awards will remain in effect as long as the student maintains a cumulative grade point average above a 3.0 and remains in good standing with Saint Ursula Academy.

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Additional Scholarships

Saint Ursula offers one-year awards of $1,000 which are not based on the High School Placement Test scores. 8th-grade girls must apply for admission and submit HSPT scores; however, these awards require a separate essay submission.

Financial Assistance

All financial assistance awards are distributed in the form of financial aid grants, and these awards are granted based on the family’s demonstrated financial need. To be considered for financial aid grants, families must submit a financial aid application by Monday, November 24, 2025.

The financial aid application process involves completing the online financial aid application through FACTS. Applicants will need their 2024 W-2’s, federal income tax return, and all related schedules filed with the IRS to complete this application. The application has a $38 fee which must be paid online when the application is submitted.

All Ohio residents are required to apply for the Ohio EdChoice Scholarship in order to be considered for need-based financial aid from the school.

Ohio EdChoice Scholarship Program

Saint Ursula will continue to be a provider for the EdChoice Scholarship Program and the EdChoice Expansion Program for the 2025-2026 school year. The State of Ohio EdChoice Expansion Program underwent a significant transformation beginning in the 2023-2024 school year. Every Ohio family now qualifies. This new program is income-based and provides scholarships to students who reside in Ohio in grades K-12 based on household income level. Under the new program, scholarships for EdChoice Expansion are awarded based on family household income and are not tied to your resident school district. To be eligible to receive the scholarship for the 2025-2026 academic year, your family must complete the State of Ohio application.

A Holistic Approach to Education

Saint Ursula Academy is a vibrant educational community founded on the strength of Catholic faith and Ursuline values. Saint Ursula Academy promotes academic excellence and fosters a welcoming, respectful, and diverse community. The academy honors the power of authentic sisterhood and develops the strength of faith-filled women. Saint Ursula Academy graduates are women filled with faith, integrity, and courage, ready to make a positive impact in the world.

Learning Difference Programs

Saint Ursula Academy provides support for students with learning disabilities, such as dyslexia and ADHD, through its Educational Services Program. This program offers qualified students the tools to succeed in Saint Ursula’s rigorous curricula.

Extracurricular Activities

With more than 50 student-led clubs and organizations, students can write an article for the school newspaper, hone their skills as a photographer, craft competitively with their classmates, or practice their diplomacy skills through Model UN. Most of the clubs, organizations, and honor societies meet during the school day, meaning that students have access to these enrichment opportunities built right into their schedules. Saint Ursula Academy offers 15 interscholastic sports: Basketball, Bowling, Cross Country, Dance, Diving, Field Hockey, Flag Football, Golf, Lacrosse, Soccer, Softball, Swimming, Tennis, Track and Field, and Volleyball.

Counseling Support

Saint Ursula Academy has 7 licensed, experienced, and caring school counselors on faculty who assist students with the transition into high school, social-emotional and academic concerns, career discernment, and the college search and application process. Each student is paired with her counselor for all four years, allowing her to build a deep and meaningful partnership with her counselor, who assists her through each stage of her high school development.

Technology Integration

All students use the same laptop, leased from the Saint Ursula Technology Department. All of the programs a student will need for the school year will be pre-loaded onto the laptop and will be updated each school year. Textbooks, homework assignments, and student grades are accessible through Schoology, LanSchool, and PowerSchool using the SUA laptop.

Admissions Information

The application deadline for Saint Ursula Academy is November 28.

Admission Requirements

Each student who takes the High School Placement Test (HSPT) fills out the application and submits grade school records that will be considered for admission. The admissions committee reviews the entire student profile for each candidate to ensure that she is ready for a college preparatory course load.

For regular admission into the Class of 2030, the admissions committee will examine the student profile:

Completed applications (including a response to a Class of 2030 prompt)
Report cards from the 7th and 8th grade
Most recent standardized test scores/proficiency test scores
Attendance records (if not included on report cards)
High School Placement Test Scores

For admission to the Educational Services Program, for students with diagnosed learning differences, the admissions committee will examine all of the above as well as:

Evaluation Team Report (ETR)
IEP/ISP, 504 Plan or school accommodation plan, if applicable
Teacher recommendations

Placement in Honors Courses

Academic Course recommendations are made to set the student on the best course for success at SUA. This is done by looking at the complete academic portfolio of each student, including the HSPT and grade school performance. Counselors and administrators review the recommended courses during individual academic advising meetings with each family.

Preparing for the Future

Saint Ursula Academy prepares women for a changing world. Saint Ursula Academy is located in the heart of Cincinnati’s cultural center, offering community classrooms at the Cincinnati Art Museum, Krohn Conservatory, Playhouse in the Park, and much more. The campus helps many students gain confidence for their transition to college.

Saint Ursula Academy graduates have been accepted into Ivy League colleges, including Princeton, Brown, Yale, Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania, and Cornell universities.

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