Application Process

Special Note: 

SAS will begin accepting applications from 2024-2025 10th grade students with a minimum unweighted GPA of 3.0 when the District SAS Application Portal goes live on Monday, September 23, 2024. If accepted, those students will begin 11th grade full time at SAS for the 2025-2026 school year in August, 2025 (including a MDC college math course) in Summer B at MDC that runs from June 23, 2025 to August 1, 2025). Information/Application meetings will be held for interested 10th graders and their parents in September and October 2024 at all SAS campuses (see “Recruitment” page on this website for detailed information). However, everything that a prospective applicant to the SAS Class of 2027 needs to initiate the process will be posted on this page.

Students in 10th grade during the 2024-2025 school year can use the MDC application link and the “District SAS Application Portal” link posted in Steps 1 and 2 to initiate the application process. When applying to MDC, please be sure it is the student who applies (not the parent) and we recommend that the student use a personal email (such as gmail). The SAS application and qualifying test scores must be submitted to the District SAS Application Portal by the student/parent by 3:00 pm on December 6, 2024 to be included in the first group of qualified applicants. When the number of qualified applicants exceeds the number of seats available on said date, a random selection process is used to admit eligible applicants, and if necessary, a waitlist initiated at a particular SAS campus. After December 6, 2024, SAS continues to accept applications at each site. Once capacity is reached at a particular SAS campus, students who continue to apply and qualify are either added to a waitlist for that campus or admitted immediately if space remains available at that campus. Students are frequently admitted from the waitlist as space becomes available in the second half of the school year. 

Each one of the SAS campuses is considered a separate entity for determining if a random ranking is necessary on December 6, 2024. Once the application process begins, and students begin applying and present passing scores on the entrance test, qualified applicants go into a pool and are treated equally. That means that someone who is deemed qualified on September 30 does not have any advantage over someone who is deemed qualified on November 30. We also treat all applicants equally in terms of GPA and test scores. A student is either qualified or not qualified. No preference for admissions is given to someone who has a higher GPA or higher test score over someone with a lower GPA or lower test score as long as both students meet the minimum SAS entrance thresholds for GPA and test scores. Students who qualify with passing test scores after December 6 are either added to a waitlist if that SAS campus is already at capacity or admitted immediately to a specific SAS campus if that campus has not yet reached capacity. 

Step 1 

Complete a Miami Dade College application as a prospective School for Advanced Studies student. This will generate a MDC ID# which is needed for the SAS application for 2025-2026 that is referenced in Step 2.  The normal $30 MDC application fee does not apply to SAS applicants. The most important aspect of applying to MDC first, is that you need a MDC ID number in order to complete the separate SAS application that is posted below in Step 2 and SAS applicants must indicate on their MDC application that they are applying to School for Advanced Studies. Sometimes after applying to MDC, students receive a message from MDC that says “the student has been accepted.” This means the student has been accepted at MDC and does not mean the student has been accepted to SAS. Acceptance to SAS is a separate process from acceptance to MDC. 

Link to MDC application  https://mdcwap.mdc.edu/apply/#/login  

Complete new admission application for MDC. 

1. Select Summer 2025 start as SAS will require that students take a MDC math class the summer before they begin the school year at SAS. 

2. Select that you won’t be a high school graduate by the time you start at MDC. 

3. Select that you are in 10th grade. 

4. Indicate “no” to the question about whether you want to stay at your current high school while taking courses with MDC (MDC courses taken by SAS students are all offered at an MDC Campus). 

5. Then select that you want to apply to the School for Advanced Studies. You can then complete the rest of the application by inputting demographic and personal information as customary. 

Upon submission, you will automatically be placed in the Pre-Bachelor of Arts Program (#14902) if you completed #5 above indicating on the MDC application that you want to apply to the School for Advanced Studies. That is very important because it allows the SAS registrar to enter MDC morning courses if you are accepted into SAS and attend SAS during the 2025-2026 school year. If you previously applied to MDC and did not indicate that you want to apply to School for Advanced Studies, you may have to apply to MDC again using a different email address but the same MDC ID number that the college issued to you previously. 

Please be aware that the applicant must select the Summer of 2025 as their beginning semester at Miami Dade College to apply to SAS. That is because SAS requires each incoming 11th grader to have taken a MDC Math class prior to beginning their full time coursework at SAS in August, 2025. Also, please be aware that the Program/Degree at MDC for SAS students is “Pre Bachelor of Arts #14902.” This is the program of study for SAS students when filling out this version of the MDC application. This is a temporary designation that can sometimes be modified later on. 10th grade students applying to SAS during the 2024-2025 school year will be graduating in June, 2027. 

After going to this MDC webpage, click on “New Application” and then click on “Accept Terms and Continue”, then proceed to complete the MDC application (as a SAS applicant). To apply to SAS an applicant must complete both an application to MDC (to get a MDC ID number) and a separate SAS application that will be posted below in Step 2. MDC will email a MDC ID number within 24 hours to the email the applicant indicates on their application. (be sure to check your spam mail for that email if you do not receive it within 24 hours). Please know that the Summer Term of 2025 will be the start point on the MDC application for a SAS student applying for the 2025-2026 school year.  

Anyone experiencing problems getting the MDC ID number should email (registrar@mdc.edu) and explain the nature of the problem. MDC has stated that they will respond to those emails and help the applicant to resolve whatever issues the student is experiencing in obtaining a MDC ID number. 

After you receive your MDC ID number from the college, then move to Step 2 below. 

Step 2 

Please use the link below to complete the 2025-2026 School for Advanced Studies “MDCPS District SAS Application” which will go live on September 23, 2024. Students may only apply to one of our campuses at any given point. 

Link to Application: Application login

Accessing the Schools for Advanced Studies (SAS) Application

Be sure to indicate which SAS campus you are applying to. The five SAS sites are SAS Homestead, SAS Kendall, SAS North, SAS West, and SAS Wolfson campuses. You can only apply to one SAS campus at a given point in time (not multiple campuses).

Be sure to enter your MDC ID # on the District SAS Application because an error message will be posted if no MDC ID# is entered and will prevent further progress in completing the application.

SAS will begin to process applications and move to Step 3 (for submitted SAS applications that meet criteria) during late September or early October. 

 Step 3

After the SAS Registrar verifies that the applicant’s GPA meets the minimum unweighted threshold of 3.0, the SAS registrar will then submit a request to MDC that a “permission to take the PERT or ACCUPLACER NG Test” be authorized. MDC will then email instructions to the applicant on how to make an appointment to test.  

SAS cannot process applications from students with an unweighted GPA below 3.00. The GPA must be verified before the process continues. In addition, passing all sections of the PERT or ACCUPLACER NG at the levels indicated by MDC policies is also required to be admitted to SAS. Therefore, utilizing the online MDC PERT/ACCUPLACER NG practice material (linked below in Step 4) is very important. Preparing for the PERT or ACCUPLACER NG is a must since the SAS applicant only gets two attempts at any MDC entrance test whether it be PERT or ACCUPLACER NG. 

All test scores should be uploaded to the  student’s account on the District SAS Application Portal. Please contact the SAS Registrar at the particular SAS campus the student is applying to if questions arise pertaining to uploading the test scores (PERT, ACCUPLACER NG or PSAT10/NMSQT). The names and email addresses of each SAS registrar are listed below: 

SAS Registrars by campus: 

SAS Homestead- Ms. Pimentel pimentels@dadeschools.net  

SAS Kendall-Ms. Wallace (jwallace@dadeschools.net) 

SAS North-Ms. Valerio (valeriom@dadeschools.net) 

SAS West- Ms. Dairen Perez (dsanchez@dadeschools.net) 

SAS Wolfson – Ms. Fairclough-Miley (tfairclough@dadeschools.net) 

Special Boundary Note 

SAS Homestead Campus – Students living south of SW 152 St. (Coral Reef Drive) must apply through the SAS Homestead Campus. If admitted, MDCPS will provide free bus transportation to and from SAS Homestead as long as the student lives more than 2 miles from the SAS Homestead Campus and south of SW 152 St. 

SAS Kendall Campus boundaries are north of SW 152 St. and south of SW 8 St. 

SAS North Campus boundaries are north of Okeechobee Road up to the county line of Miami-Dade County. 

SAS West Campus boundaries are for students living in an area south of Okeechobee Road, east of SW 137 Avenue, west of 826 (Palmetto Expressway), and north of SW 8 Street.  

SAS Wolfson Campus has no boundaries but also does not have buses provided by MDCPS. Free Metrorail and Metrobus passes are provided to SAS Wolfson students. 

Students who live in Broward or Monroe counties can apply to SAS but are responsible for their own transportation. 

Please inquire about specific transportation arrangements at the SAS campus you are applying to. 

Step 4 – Get Tested 

Directions for School for Advanced Studies Placement Testing administered by Miami Dade College 

What is the PERT or ACCUPLACER NG? 

As part of the admissions process for MDC and before enrolling in SAS, prospective students can take the PERT or ACCUPLACER Next Generation (NG), which are Miami Dade College’s basic skills assessment tests. The PERT has three sections that must be passed for SAS admittance: Writing (103 or above). Reading (106 or above), and Math (123 or above). The ACCUPLACER NG also has three sections that must be passed. The minimum ACCUPLACER NG scores necessary for SAS admittance are:  Reading (256+), Writing (253+), and Math (QAS score 261+).  

Test scores must result in course placement for ENC 1101 and MAC 1105. This can be done through any combination of sections on the PERT, ACCUPLACER NG, or Digital PSAT/NMSQT (PSAT10), Digital SAT or CLT as posted on the MDC Test Assessment webpage. Please visit the “Eligibility” page under the “Admissions” tab of the SAS website for more detailed information about minimum acceptable test scores on the Digital PSAT/NMSQT, Digital SAT, ACT and CLT. 

Alternate test approved by SAS and MDC 

If an applicant took the Digital PSAT/NMSQT (PSAT10) in 9th grade (October 2023) and earned a minimum score of 530 on the Math and 490 on the Evidence Based Reading and Writing sections, they may upload proof of those scores (obtained and printed out from the student’s College Board account) to the District SAS Application Portal as a substitute for taking the ACCUPLACER NG or the PERT. The PSAT 8/9 is not valid for this purpose as it is not accepted by MDC as a qualifying test.

Minimum passing score requirements for SAS admission are also listed on the SAS Agreement of Understanding which the applicant will find on the District SAS Application Portal. The PERT or ACCUPLACER NG test administration takes approximately 2-3 hours and is done on a computer at MDC with no time limits. For SAS admissions purposes, a SAS applicant is permitted to take MDC assessment tests (PERT or ACCUPLACER NG) only TWO times total. The first attempt is free and the fee for the second attempt (in person) is $10 payable to MDC Bursar. An extra fee for using a credit card to pay for the second attempt will be assessed which may raise the total to $13. 

How do I prepare for the PERT or ACCUPLACER NG? 

Information about each section of the PERT or ACCUPLACER NG and sample questions are provided via the MDC Test Preparation web page. Please review this information prior to taking the test.  

Link to PERT Test Preparation https://www.mdc.edu/testing/tests/pert/ and click on the tabs labeled samples tests and study guide. 

Link to ACCUPLACER NG Test Prep Material:  https://practice.accuplacer.org/login 

When, where and how do I take the actual PERT or ACCUPLACER NG? The PERT or ACCUPLACER NG is available on campus at MDC (in person) by appointment. 

Applicants must schedule an appointment using the MDC testing website to take a “in person” placement test in the MDC test center (select the specific MDC campus where you want to schedule the appointment). No SAS applicant can schedule a PERT or ACCUPLACER NG appointment prior to GPA verification and until the SAS registrar has sent a test authorization referral for that student to MDC. After MDC receives the test authorization from the SAS registrar, the college then communicates with the applicant by email as to how to schedule an appointment and provides the student with a link to make that appointment. 

10th grade students who live in other parts of the United States or out of country can seek permission from the SAS principal for MDC “remote testing” on a case by case basis. 

Testing and Assessment Department Contact Information at SAS Sites 

SAS sites Room Phone Email 
Homestead C300 305-237-5105 homestead_testing@mdc.edu 
Kendall Building R, 5th floor 305-237-2341 kendall_testing@mdc.edu 
North 1160 305-237-1015 north_testing@mdc.edu 
West 2110 305-237-8979 west_testing@mdc.edu 
Wolfson 3104 305-237-3011 wolfson_testing@mdc.edu 

Testing and Assessment Department Contact Information at SAS Sites 

Students who are testing for SAS admission must have a Miami Dade College ID number, an email from MDC with instructions on how to schedule a PERT or ACCUPLACER NG test appointment, and an acceptable photo ID (found under “Testing Requirements”. 

Important Testing Information: 

Previous attempts at the PERT or ACCUPLACER NG taken during 9th grade may be used for SAS admission (for the SAS Class of 2027) eligibility if testing occurred after 9/1/2023 and the scores meet SAS minimum standards  for PERT or the ACCUPLACER NG that were in effect at the time of the test. 

If the applicant took the Digital PSAT/NMSQT in 9th grade, and scored a minimum of 530 on the Math section and 490 on the Evidence Based Reading and Writing section of the exam, they may upload those scores to the District SAS Application Portal as a substitute for the PERT or ACCUPLACER NG. The Digital PSAT will be given to 10th graders who attend MDCPS public schools in October 2024 and those results may come back to the students at some point in November or December 2024. Those PSAT scores, if high enough, can be used by the SAS registrar in an attempt to meet SAS eligibility. However, students should go ahead and test on the PERT or ACCUPLACER NG in September – November, 2024 so as to not depend on those PSAT scores to qualify them for SAS eligibility by December 6, 2024. 

STEP 5

What do I need to do after testing? 

Upload the test score report that you receive from MDC to the District SAS Application Portal (even if the scores fell short of what is needed for admission). Applicants that need a second test attempt are required to wait at least  2 weeks before making a second attempt. If questions or concerns arise, email the SAS Registrar at the site you applied to.

SAS Homestead- Ms. Pimentel (pimentels@dadeschools.net) 

SAS Kendall-Ms. Wallace (jwallace@dadeschools.net) 

SAS North-Ms. Valerio (valeriom@dadeschools.net) 

SAS West-Ms. Dairen Perez (dsanchez@dadeschools.net) 

SAS Wolfson – Ms. Fairclough-Miley (tfairclough@dadeschools.net) 

The SAS Registrar will verify the scores via the MDC electronic database student record keeping system. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) 

1. Can a student apply to SAS if they did not attend  the September or October 2024 “in person” meetings? Yes, but the sooner the better since space is limited and a waitlist may be created after December 6, 2024 at one or more SAS campuses if the capacity at that campus is reached on that date. 

2. Can I use previous PERT or ACCUPLACER NG results to meet testing requirements for SAS (Class of 2027)? Yes, if the student tested on PERT or ACCUPLACER NG after September 1, 2023 and documentation of those scores can be obtained and presented to SAS and MDC. 

3. Do I need to apply to MDC if I already have a MDC ID#? Yes, however you should apply as a SAS 10th grade applicant with a different email address than was originally used. 

4. Can I be considered for admissions if I do not currently have an unweighted GPA of 3.0?   No 

5. Are SAS students eligible for transportation services through MDCPS? Yes, if the student lives more than 2 miles away from the SAS site they are applying to and adhere to our campus boundaries (buses are not provided at SAS Wolfson – however Metrorail and Metrobus passes are provided to SAS Wolfson students). 

6. Can I apply to more than one campus at a given time? No 

7. Do I need to submit the PERT or ACCUPLACER NG or Digital PSAT10/NMSQT exam results to the District SAS Application Portal prior to the December 6, 2024 admissions deadline? Yes, if the student is to be considered for admission in the first group of qualified applicants. However, SAS will continue to admit qualified applicants after December 6, 2024 if space permits. 

8. How will the Agreement of Understanding be sent to prospective students? Once the applicant has applied to SAS using the District SAS Application Portal, the student will access the Agreement of Understanding on the District Portal. The applicant and parent will sign that document and upload the signed document to the District Portal. Private school students, out of county, out of country,  and students who do not attend a MDCPS high school must must upload a transcript to the District SAS Application Portal so an unweighted GPA can be hand calculated before testing can be authorized. 

9. How will the test referral form be sent to students who completed the SAS/MDC application package? After the SAS Registrar verifies that the applicant has the minimum unweighted GPA of 3.0, the SAS Registrar will submit a test referral form to MDC which authorizes the student to test. Additionally, MDC will email the student after the student has been authorized to test by SAS indicating how to schedule an appointment to test. 

10. Do private and home school students and out of county applicants need to submit a transcript as part of the application process? Yes, the SAS registrar must hand calculate the unweighted GPA before sending an authorization to test on the PERT or ACCUPLACER NG at MDC and therefore has to access the transcripts uploaded to the District Portal from private school applicants, etc. and verify the unweighted GPA of at least 3.0 before SAS can authorize testing. 

11. How will students be notified of the admissions decision? MDCPS will send a letter by late January 2025 indicating whether or not the student was admitted in the first group of qualified applicants or if they have been placed on a wait list. A random ranking is only done when the number of qualified applicants exceeds spaces available at a particular SAS campus on December 6, 2024. However, SAS will continue to accept applications after December 6, 2024, and space permitting, continue to admit eligible applicants throughout the early months of 2025. 

12. Does SAS use a lottery selection process for admissions? Yes, but only if the number of qualified applicants at a particular SAS campus exceeds spaces available on December 6, 2024. It should be noted that many, if not most, students who might initially be placed on a waitlist ultimately are admitted each year. 

13. Is there an application deadline to apply? No. However priority will be given to applicants who qualify by December 6, 2024. 

14. If I’m not selected at my first choice campus, can I be considered for another campus, assuming seats are still available and I meet eligibility requirements?  

Yes, but the application for the first choice campus must be withdrawn at that point and the student would be removed from the wait list for the first choice campus. 

15. Are parents responsible for the cost of college tuition and books if their child attends MDC through SAS? No. There is no charge to SAS students for their tuition at MDC or their college or high school textbooks (textbooks must be returned at the end of the semester). 

16. What are the minimum scores necessary for SAS admission on the PERT?  Please see minimum PERT or ACCUPLACER NG scores in STEP #4. 

Additionally, if the student seeking admission to the SAS Class of 2027 took the Digital PSAT/NMSQT (PSAT 10) in 9th grade (October 2023) and earned a minimum score of 530 on the Math section and 490 on the Evidence Based Reading and Writing section of the exam, then those scores can be uploaded to the District SAS Application Portal as an acceptable alternate admissions test. The digital PSAT that most 10th graders take in October  2024 can also be used with the same minimum thresholds. However, the results from that test may not be available in time for the SAS priority deadline of December 6, 2024. Therefore, applicants are advised to test at MDC on the PERT or ACCUPLACER NG exams and upload the results prior to December 6, 2024. 

17. Are there online resources for the PERT or the ACCUPLACER NG? Yes, on the MDC testing website. Please click on the link below labeled “How do I prepare for the PERT or ACCUPLACER NG”? https://www.mdc.edu/main/testing/examprep/ 

18. Must the prospective student make an appointment with MDC for the ACCUPLACER NG exam? Yes, but only after the SAS registrar authorizes the  student to do so. 

19. Do I need to inform my current school that I’m applying to School for Advanced Studies? No 

20. Do I need to obtain authorization from my current school in order to take the PERT or ACCUPLACER NG exam? No, the SAS registrar will submit the authorization to test to MDC on behalf of SAS applicants after receiving the application documents and verifying the student’s GPA. 

21. If I attend SAS, can I still participate in athletics through my neighborhood high school? Yes 

22. If accepted to SAS, do I continue attending my current 10th grade school? Yes, Students admitted to SAS for 11th grade in August, 2025 will finish their 10th grade year (2024-2025) at their current high school. After June 5, 2025, the students who are accepted into SAS will not return to their 10th grade high school for any further classes. 

23. Does SAS offer high school extracurricular activities? Yes, many clubs and activities are offered at SAS. Some of them are listed on the SAS website (click on the tab for “Our Schools” on the SAS website and then click on the particular SAS campus you are applying to). Clubs vary from year to year and from SAS campus to SAS campus. 

Activities where all SAS campuses come together include dances, winter trip to Busch Gardens, Senior Trip to a Orlando theme park, annual picnic, awards ceremonies, college forums with top tier universities, college tours, NHS induction ceremony, Top Ten Percent Dinner, and Prom. 

24. Can I take the PERT or the ACCUPLACER NG test more than two times? No. (additionally, the first test attempt is free but MDC charges $10 -$13 for the second attempt). A maximum of two attempts at a MDC placement exam is acceptable for SAS applicants. 

25. If I am part of a magnet program, when do I notify my current school that I will be attending SAS for the following school year? Within 10 days of meeting with the SAS counselor for the “intake” session (these meetings with the SAS counselor usually occur in February or March). 

26. Why does the SAS applicant applying to MDC only have one option when it comes to indicating the MDC start date of Summer Term of 2025? 

That is because SAS will require that incoming SAS juniors in the SAS Class of 2027 take a MDC math class in the summer before they begin the school year at SAS in August of 2025.  The particular required MDC math class will vary according to the student’s performance on the PERT or the QAS math portion of the ACCUPLACER NG test. The SAS counselor will assist the student to enroll in what is called “Summer B” at MDC which runs 6 weeks from the third week in June through the end of July.  It may also be suggested that students who have not completed the required PE credits by the end of 10th grade also take a PE class at MDC in Summer B. The SAS counselor will not be able to help applicants enroll in Summer A which begins in early May because applicants are still attending their current 10th grade high school at that point.