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Honors Programs- What Questions to Ask

Updated: Dec 9, 2020


Choosing An Honors Program: Twenty Questions To Ask

Inside Honors 2020-2021: Ratings and Review of 40 Public University Honors Programs

John Willingham


If two or three public universities are in your target group, carefully research the honors college or program in each of them and do so as early as possible. Some of them will have scholarship and application deadlines that are much earlier than the deadline of the universities of which they are part.


Honors colleges and programs differ greatly in size, quality, curricula, housing, overall philosophy, and financial aid opportunities...Below are twenty steps that should be very useful in helping you make the best decision regardless of whether you want a public or private university honors program.


First Ten Questions


  1. Match basic admission requirements with your test scores, GPA, and essays.

  2. Research actual average admission statistics. In general, honors students will have average test scores 6-10% higher than the 25th percentile of accepted students for the university as a whole.

  3. Determine the size of the honors program (mean size in the major public universi