St. Patrick’s Seminary
320 Middlefield Road
Menlo Park, CA 94025
(650) 325-5621
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Admissions
Thank you for your interest in St. Patrick’s Seminary. The admissions process begins with each applicant’s diocesan Vocation Director from whom the applicant receives access to the seminary’s online application. Find your diocesan Vocation Director here.
Vocation Directors, please contact St. Patrick’s Seminary at admissions@stpsu.edu.
Learn more about St. Patrick’s Propaedeutic Year in the video below.
Admissions Policies and Information
Admissions policies at St. Patrick’s Seminary conform in every respect to The Program of Priestly Formation (PPF #66) which states:
“Applicants must undergo a thorough screening process appropriate to the admission process. Personal interviews with the applicants, evaluations from their pastors and teachers, records and evaluations from a previous seminary or institute of consecrated life or society of apostolic life if applicable, academic records, standardized test scores, psychological evaluations, and criminal background checks are all components of an effective admission program, and they are weighed together with an assessment of the applicant’s motivation. Those who do not fulfill minimal thresholds for admission must not be admitted.”
An aspirant seeking admission to St. Patrick’s Seminary requires the sponsorship of his respective diocesan bishop or religious superior. An aspirant should contact his local Vocations Office, where the Vocation Director of the diocese can acquaint the prospective aspirant with the necessary steps to be admitted by the diocese and for application to the seminary. Admission to STPSU is open only to aspirants to the priesthood, though non-degree-seeking students may take classes at STPSU with approval from the Rector and/or Academic Dean.
According to The Program of Priestly Formation, Sixth Edition (PPF #79), “If an applicant has never been in a formation program, then he must complete a propaedeutic stage lasting not less than one calendar year and a discipleship stage lasting not less than two years.”
For admission directly into the graduate-level theology program, St. Patrick’s Seminary requires a bachelor’s degree or equivalent from an accredited institution and two years of prior formation. In addition, the completion of 30 units of philosophy and 12 units of religious studies is required (PPF #306). If these requirements have not been met, the applicant will be placed in the Propaedeutic Program or the Pre-Theology Program prior to entering Theology I.
All applicants go through an extensive screening process, including medical and psychological assessments performed within the last two years prior to application submission. Applicants must also undergo an interview process with the Admissions Committee.