FAQ

In reviewing applications, the Honors College considers the student's high school academic record (including grades and courses taken), standardized test scores (if submitted as part of the BGSU application), and writing ability (as demonstrated in a brief essay on one of several assigned topics). BGSU is a test optional institution for fall 2025 applicants. Students do not need to submit a standardized score to apply to the Honors College, but GPA and test scores are required for the Honors Scholarships.

A high school grade point average of 3.50 or higher, and an ACT composite score of 27 or above or SAT composite of 1200 or above is common for an Honors applicant. However, there are no cut-offs, and students can fall above or below these average scores. Above all else, we look for curiosity, passion, self-motivation, and drive. We encourage all interested Main Campus students to apply. Students enrolled at BGSU Firelands or BGSU Online are not eligible to join the Honors College.

No. Acceptance into the Honors College is not automatic. You must submit an Honors application. The application deadline is March 1 of each year, but the College offers rolling admission prior to this deadline. If you submit your application at an earlier date, you will be notified of your status within 4-6 weeks of receipt of your application. You can apply online here.

Such an interview isn't required for admission to the College. However, if you're interested in the College and would like to find out more about it, we encourage you to visit campus after scheduling an appointment with a member of our staff. If you visit us during the academic year, we may be able to arrange for you to sit in on an Honors class. The Admissions Office offers tours of campus throughout the year, most weeks Monday through Saturday.  Inquire about visiting the Honors College by emailing our staff at honors@bgsu.edu.

There are over 1,000 students in the College (out of a total undergraduate population of 16,000). Approximately 350 first-year students enter the College each year.

Except in rare cases, enrollment in Honors courses is limited to 25 students. Honors classes typically involve more discussion and less lecturing/note-taking, more critical and analytical thinking and less simple memorization, and more writing and less objective testing than regular classes. The six general aims of the Honors College are to promote students' abilities to recognize and draw interdisciplinary connections, to engage in critical thinking, to communicate effectively both orally and in writing, to promote student self-confidence and intellectual independence, to enhance students' abilities to work collaboratively with others and to enhance students' multicultural and international awareness. Your Honors learning experiences will fit into one or more of those categories.

No. Most Honors courses can be used to meet either the BG Perspective Core Curriculum requirements which apply to all students at the University, the Group Requirements which apply to students in the College of Arts and Sciences, or both. Although HNRS 2010 and HNRS 2020 are required by the Honors College, they are also BG Perspective classes.

You must complete a minimum of 15 graded semester hours of Honors coursework by the end of your fourth semester in the program. You must also maintain a minimum 3.0 grade point average.

Not likely. Because Honors students are typically bright, mature, and well-motivated-- and because the environment in Honors classes is especially conducive to learning-- Honors students tend to make higher grades in their Honors classes. Each year over 90% of first-year Honors students earn a 3.0 GPA or higher. The average first-year Honors student earns a GPA of 3.5 in their Honors classes and their non-Honors classes.

BGSU Honors students are able to graduate with four kinds of Honors: departmental honors (which are awarded by individual departments to their outstanding graduates); "Latin" honors such as cum laude and magna cum laude (which are based strictly on a formula emphasizing grade point average); and University Honors (which are awarded by the Honors College). The primary requirements for Graduation with University Honors are a University grade point average of 3.5 or above, a minimum 23 hours of Honors coursework in a range of fields, including the completion of an Honors Project. Each year, a number of BGSU Honors students are also initiated into distinguished academic fraternities, including Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi, and Golden Key Honor Society.

Honors courses tend to require more writing, thinking and class participation than non-Honors courses. However, most Honors students come to appreciate and enjoy the special challenges posed by Honors courses and take as many Honors courses as they can.

The Honors College and Honors Learning Community offers a wide range of enlightenment activities, including guest speakers, discussions led by Honors faculty, informal reading groups, special programs of personal interest to students, and excursions off-campus to museums, musical and theatrical productions, and other sites and events.

Though they have very different personalities and academic interests, Honors faculty all enjoy working with bright and well-motivated students, prefer interactive teaching methods to traditional lecturing, and enjoy conveying the excitement of intellectual discovery to their students. Over 70 different faculty offer Honors courses each semester.

No. Most Honors students take a mixture of Honors and non-Honors courses each semester.

Honors students receive priority scheduling after their first semester on campus. Honors students have access to academic support every day in the Honors office, a place where students are warmly welcomed and encouraged to feel at home. Honors students receive personal attention and enjoy the sense of community, which are normally available only at small liberal arts colleges. For many students, these benefits ease the process of adjustment to college life. See most of the benefits of Honors here.

There are many ways students get involved within the Honors College. Honors students are Honors Ambassadors, Peer Facilitators, Resident Assistants, Honors Fellows, advisory board representatives and Honors Students of Color members. In addition, Honors students are leaders within a variety of campus and community organizations.

Honors College students can live in any residence hall on campus. Students within commuter distance can also commute from home and participate in Honors.

The Honors Learning Community (HLC), located in Founders Hall, is designated a common living option for on-campus Honors students. It is an opportunity to live with other high-achieving, motivated, and engaged students. The HLC offers students a strong sense of community, regular opportunities for socializing, special programming, and an environment in which the desire to study is appreciated. The mission of the HLC is to create a seamless educational environment that supports the goals of the Honors College.

Honors students have access to special educational opportunities designed to foster their long-term intellectual and personal growth. Their participation in the Honors College is also likely to enhance their postgraduate job prospects and/or application to graduate and professional schools. Honors alumni regularly tell us their Honors classes and the completion of an Honors project were invaluable learning experiences.