Admission to the Honors Program at Illinois State University is a holistic process designed to attract a broad range of highly-motivated students with a successful track record and the potential for further success in their college careers and beyond. Using a variety of criteria, this process helps us identify those students who best fit the culture and climate of this university, described in its mission statement as a diverse community of scholars. Current students in the Honors Program have a wide range of interests, disciplines, and backgrounds and are spread throughout all the six colleges. Freshmen who were admitted to the program for fall 2005 and 2006 had ACT scores ranging from 25 to 35 and high school GPAs ranging from 3.10 to 4.85. Given below, in no particular order of merit, are some of the criteria used to evaluate applications:
The application process requires a personal statement designed to give the Honors Admissions Committee a sense of how motivated the applicant is to pursue academic work. Acceptance into the program is not automatic, rather it is based on information submitted in the Honors Program Freshman Application (pdf). To be considered for an Honors First-Year Scholarship, the application deadline is March 1. For Honors Program admission only, the application deadline is April 15.
Current Illinois State students who meet the Honors Program requirements are invited to apply to the Program at any point during their time at the University. Admission for current students is based on GPA and a personal statement. Acceptance into the program is not automatic, rather it is based on information submitted in the Honors Program Current Student Application (pdf). Generally, current students are expected to have an Illinois State cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher. Application deadlines are July 1 for fall admission and December 15 for spring admission.
Incoming transfer students who meet Honors Program requirements are invited to apply to the Program after they have been admitted to the University. Admission for transfer students is based on GPA and a personal statement. Acceptance into the program is not automatic, rather it is based on information submitted in the Honors Program Transfer Student Application (pdf). Transfer students are generally expected to have a 3.5 GPA from their transfer institution. Application deadlines are July 1 for fall admission and December 15 for spring admission.
The Honors Program will recognize up to 12 hours of transferred Honors credit from institutions that are formally affiliated with the National Collegiate Honors Council. A list of member institutions. Transferred Honors credit may be applied towards the fulfillment of Illinois State Honors designations provided that the credit appropriately satisfies the designation requirements. Transferred Honors credit may not be used to meet the Honors participation requirement.