Honors Programs- What Questions to Ask

Choosing An Honors Program: Where to start

Are you seeking an elite education at a Flagship State University or a Moderately Selective Private School? 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 much earlier than the deadlines of the universities they are part of.

Honors colleges and programs differ greatly in size, quality, curricula, housing, overall philosophy, and financial aid opportunities...Below are some questions to get started.

1. Academic Profile and Admissions

   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.

2. Program's Size - The mean size of major public universities is 1,700 - 2,000, but programs may be as small as 140 or 9,000.) There are quality programs of all sizes.

3. Honors Curriculum - Determine the curriculum requirements as a percentage of the graduation requirements. Generally, the number of honors hours should be at least 25% of the total required for graduation.

4. Research Opportunities - ask whether there are special research opportunities for undergrads and if an honors thesis is required. Some students do not want the extra challenge; others realize how important it can be to attend graduate or professional school or even for employment opportunities.

5. What are the perks? - Housing, Scholarships, Priority Registration, Study Abroad

See CPC's list of 40 ranked Honors College programs.

More questions about Honors Programs? Schedule a no-obligation chat with us.