Faulkner, Ashley. (2009). Admissions to Honors College

In today’s society admissions into college is no easy feat; likewise admissions into an Honors College is even harder. To be a fully functioning Honors College it must require certain standards from the its applicants. Among these requirements are separate admissions than the regular college, appropriate size of the entering class, minimum GPA’s and SAT/ACT scores, written essays, and expectations for retention in the Honors College.

Because the Honors College is a college inside of the university, admission to it is required as well as a separate admission to the Honors College. SAU’s Honor College meets this standard by requiring applicants to fill out a separate application for admission. To keep the Honors College a sacred and honored institution limiting the entering class size is an important factor. If the incoming class is too large it may seem like the College is too easy to enter or that its standards are low enough such that more students can meet them. At SAU the average entering class is around 30 students. This number is a good one for the College. Assuming that all the Honors College’s students remained enrolled for the full four years there would be 120 Honors College students out of the 3,000 who attend SAU. This ratio makes the Honors College look like a high society made up of only the brightest students at SAU.

Criteria for the applicants includes meeting certain requirements. Most honors colleges require a minimum GPA, usually above a 3.0, and students must retain a certain GPA to stay enrolled in the college. SAT/ACT scores are also a major requirement for admission to any honors college. SAU uses students’ ACT scores; they must have a composite score of 26 or higher to be considered for admission. Written essays are required for many normal college applications, however for admissions into honor colleges students are required to submit other materials. SAU’s Honors College requires two additional essays. One is a piece already written for a high school class, the other is a paper explaining their interest in the Honors College and what they believe they will bring to that community. In addition to the two essays, SAU also requires two letters of recommendation: one academic and one personal. To remain in the honors college students must keep a GPA of 3.25 or higher and complete at least 15 hours per semester and 24 total honors hours before graduation.

All in all, SAU’s Honors College meets all the admission requirements to be considered a fully functioning honors college. It requires separate admissions, regulates incoming class sizes, imposes minimum GPAs and SAT/ACT scores, obtains written essays, and states requirements for retention in the college. The SAU Honors College meets the national standards for admissions.