Honors Learning Community

Honors Learning Community

The Honors Learning Community – or HLC – is a great way for Honors students to enhance your Honors experience by living with and learning from other highly motivated students.

The Bowling Green State University Honors College supports the BGSU mission by fostering a community of scholars. Through an emphasis on personal and intellectual development, members are challenged to identify their values and broaden their worldview.

Apply Now
What is the difference between the Honors College and the Honors Learning Community?

The Honors College offers an academically focused experience designed for high-achieving students. Members benefit from rigorous, interactive, and collaborative coursework that emphasizes critical thinking and individualized learning. Honors courses are specifically designed to challenge students to think deeply and from multiple perspectives. On average, students complete 13-18% of their total coursework at the Honors level. To graduate with Honors, students must maintain a minimum 3.5 university GPA by the time of graduation. 

The Honors Learning Community offers additional opportunities for community engagement and social connections. The Honors Learning Community (HLC) offers the chance to live and engage with like-minded peers in a supportive, academically focused environment. HLC membership includes regional travel, community meals, book clubs, watch parties, sporting events, and additional programming - some of which is exclusive to HLC members. There are no academic requirements for membership in the HLC. 

Why join the HLC?

  • Forge lasting friendships and ease your transition to college in a friendly, relaxed environment.
  • Receive support from Honors staff who understand the goals of high-achieving students.
  • Connect with peers through shared experiences.
  • Participate in social events, educational programs, and day and overnight trips organized specifically for the HLC community. 
  • Broaden your perspectives through engaging discussions and hands-on learning opportunities.
Honors-5828

Important things to know

  • We strongly recommend – but do not require – that Honors students live in the Honors Learning Community.
  • Space is limited and fills quickly. You are not guaranteed admission to the HLC just because you’re an Honors student. But Honors students receive priority consideration.
  • You must apply to the HLC in a separate application process.
  • First-year students in the HLC are required to live in Founders Hall. After the first year, HLC members can live elsewhere.

More HLC information

How to apply to the HLC

Important news!

The HLC is on a waitlist for the 2025-26 academic year. You will be added to the waitlist when you apply to the HLC.

First-year Honors students who want to apply to the HLC must live in Founders Hall.

You must apply for membership in the HLC, sign up for campus housing and apply to the Honors College in separate steps. Not all who apply to the HLC will be admitted. Space is limited and fills quickly. 

Steps to apply

  1. Log into the MyBGSU portal.
  2. Complete your housing application under “Housing and Residence Life.” 
  3. Once the housing app is complete, click on "Add a New Community Enrollment Request." Choose the Honors Learning Community and academic year/term.
  4. Apply to the Honors College if you haven’t already done so. Use the same username and password you used when applying to BGSU.

Important tip

If you are an incoming first-year student in the process of applying to the Honors College, do not wait for acceptance into the college to sign up for the Honors Learning Community. Space typically fills fast with waitlists starting in mid-January.  

If you’re accepted into the Honors College, you will be given priority consideration for the HLC,  but your acceptance is not guaranteed. If you are not admitted to the Honors College, you will be admitted to the HLC only if space is available.

Your membership in the HLC isn’t guaranteed from year to year. We will provide information about housing and re-enrollment steps during the re-enrollment period from October through December.

Returning students are not required to live in Founders Hall to participate in the HLC. You can choose your preferred room during the returning student housing process in the spring semester.

Questions about the HLC?

Contact the Honors Learning Community director at honors@bgsu.edu.

Updated: 05/19/2025 02:29PM