Admission to the Honors College
Incoming Freshmen
Recommended Deadline for Incoming Freshmen to Apply for Admission to the Honors College for the Fall Semester 2014 or later: March 1.
If you meet the criteria for direct admission, making this deadline allows you to apply for Honors housing. Once you submit the online application, you will receive notification from the Honors College within 2 weeks.
If you don’t meet the criteria for direct admission and wish to petition for admission, you need to petition well before March 1 if you wish to apply for Honors housing.
Eligibility for Students Entering MU as Freshmen Fall 2014 or Later
You may apply for admission to the Honors College if you satisfy any one of the following three criteria:
- An ACT* score of 31 AND either a top 15 % class rank OR a high school core** GPA of 3.58
- An ACT* score of 30 AND either a top 10 % class rank OR a high school core** GPA of 3.74
- An ACT* score of 29 AND either a top 5 % class rank OR a high school core** GPA of 3.91
If you meet i, ii, or iii above, you need only complete an online application to be accepted by the Honors College.
*SAT scores are converted to ACT scores by the MU Admissions Office.
** “Core GPA” = all English courses, all math courses Algebra I and higher, all science courses, all social studies courses, and all foreign language courses.
Eligibility for Students Entering MU as Freshmen Before Fall 2014
You may apply for admission to the Honors College if you have a 29 or above on the ACT (or 1280 or higher on the SAT) AND are in the top 10 percent of your graduating high school class*. If you meet these criteria, you need only to complete an online application to be accepted by the Honors College.
* If your school does not use class rank and your “core GPA” is at least 3.70, you can use your core GPA for direct admission to the Honors College in place of the class rank criterion. “Core GPA” = all English courses, all math courses Algebra I and higher, all science courses, all social studies courses, and all foreign language courses.
Petitioning for Admission If You Don’t Meet the Eligibility Criteria
Final Deadline to Petition for Admission to the Honors College for the Fall Semester 2014 or later: April 1.
If you don’t meet the criteria for direct admission to the Honors College, you may petition for admission and will be notified within 2 weeks. In order to petition for admission, select that option at the bottom of the online application and the necessary fields and text boxes will open.
Note that if you are admitted to the Honors College through the petition process and you wish to apply for Honors housing, you must petition well before the March 1 deadline.
Students Transferring to MU
The Honors College enthusiastically welcomes transfer students, provided the student has completed at least 30 credit hours of college credit at an accredited institution and has achieved a GPA of 3.7 or above.
You do not need to include ACT scores or high school information on the application. Please include the name of your previous college or university and the number of credit hours you have completed.
Please note that AP/Dual Credit taken during high school counts toward your 30 hours, but does not qualify you as a “Transfer Student.” You must have completed at least one semester as a full-time student at an accredited college or university to be considered a Transfer Student. Up to 6 honors credits earned at another accredited college or university may be transferred to MU if they appear as honors credits on your previous college or university transcript.
Current MU Students
Current students at MU are enthusiastically encouraged to join the Honors College. MU students who have completed at least 30 credit hours and achieved an MU GPA of 3.5 or above are directly eligible for admission: they can join the Honors College by filling out the online application after grades are posted for the semester in which they qualify.
Maintaining Honors College Membership
In order to remain members of the Honors College, students must fulfill both the GPA and Participation Requirements:
GPA Requirement
- For students enrolling at MU for the first time in the fall semester, 2014, or later: To retain membership in the Honors College, students must maintain an MU cumulative GPA of 3.5 or above. Students with an MU cumulative GPA below 3.5 will receive a warning letter the first semester in which this occurs. Students with an MU cumulative GPA below 3.5 for a second consecutive semester will no longer be members of the Honors College. Students wishing to reapply to the Honors College must meet the eligibility requirements for current MU students (see above).
- For students enrolling at MU for the first time before the fall semester, 2014: To retain membership in the Honors College, students must maintain an MU cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above. Students with an MU GPA below 3.0 will receive a warning letter the first semester in which this occurs. Students with an MU cumulative GPA below 3.0 for a second consecutive semester will no longer be members of the Honors College. Students wishing to reapply to the Honors College must meet the eligibility requirements for current MU students (see above).
Participation Requirement
Students who join the Honors College as first-year students will be required to complete two honors courses per year for their first two years at MU. All honors courses will count toward this requirement, including honors-designated courses, and Honors Learning-by-Contract. MU students who join the Honors College in their sophomore year and transfer students who are admitted with sophomore standing will be required to complete two courses in their first year of Honors College membership. MU students who join the Honors College after their second year and transfer students who are admitted with junior or senior standing will be exempted from the participation requirement.
Graduation Requirement for the Honors Certificate
- For students enrolling at MU for the first time in Fall 2014 or later: Students who complete 20 or more hours of courses for honors credit and maintain a 3.5 cumulative GPA (as calculated after final grades are posted at the end of the semester in which the student is graduating) are eligible to graduate with an Honors Certificate. In addition to General Honors course credit, the 20 hours may include up to 6 hours of departmental honors courses, 6 hours of honors transfer credit, 8 hours of Learning-by-Contract credit, and 8 hours of graduate credit. No more than the last 3 hours of honors credit may be completed during the final semester of coursework. Students must achieve a minimum letter grade for each course: a C or better for regular honors classes or a B or better for Learning-by-Contract courses. Students must apply for the Honors Certificate no later than the end of the third week of classes in their final semester. Graduating students who do not apply in time will not graduate with honors. Note that eligibility to participate in the Honors Convocation will be made based on the credits listed on your transcript and your cumulative GPA at the end of the semester prior to the one in which you graduate. (For example, if you plan to graduate at the end of the Spring Semester, you must have at least 17 eligible honors credits and a 3.5 cumulative GPA at the end of the Fall Semester in order to participate.) For more information, including deadlines, see the Application for Graduation with the Honors Certificate.
- For students enrolling at MU for the first time before Fall 2014: Students who complete 20 or more hours of courses for honors credit and maintain a 3.3 cumulative GPA are eligible to graduate with an Honors Certificate. In addition to General Honors course credit, the 20 hours may include up to 6 hours of departmental honors courses, 6 hours of honors transfer credit, 8 hours of Learning-by-Contract credit, and 8 hours of graduate credit. No more than the last 3 hours of honors credit may be completed during the final semester of coursework. Students must achieve a minimum letter grade for each course: a C or better for regular honors classes or a B or better for Learning-by-Contract courses. Students must apply for the Honors Certificate no later than the end of the third week of classes in their final semester. Graduating students who do not apply in time will not graduate with honors. Note that eligibility to participate in the Honors Convocation will be made based on the credits listed on your transcript and your cumulative GPA at the end of the semester prior to the one in which you graduate. (For example, if you plan to graduate at the end of the Spring Semester, you must have at least 17 eligible honors credits and a 3.5 cumulative GPA at the end of the Fall Semester in order to participate.) For more information, including deadlines, see the Application for Graduation with the Honors Certificate.