Honors Program Requirements

Fall 2026 Undergraduate Students

Applications for prospective undergraduate honors students will open in October. The application is open to all incoming undergraduate students within the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Business, Engineering, & Technology as well as those within the School of Nursing who are pursuing a four-year BSN degree. If you have any questions, please contact the Honors Program at honors@su.edu.

Application Requirements

• ONE primary essay (500-750 words). 
  • Describe a question, puzzle, or problem that genuinely fascinates you. What draws you to this question? What have you done to explore it, and what have you discovered? Where has your curiosity led you, and what remains unknown
• ONE short response essay (200-300 words each).
  • Choose one of the following three essay options.
    • Option A: Tell us about the most intellectually challenging course, project, or academic experience you’ve had. What made it difficult? How did you approach it, and what did you gain from the experience?
    • Option B: How do you express yourself creatively? This could be through art, music, writing, design, problem-solving, building things, or any other form of creative work. Share a specific example and explain what drives your creative process.
    • Option C: What book, article, podcast, lecture, video, or other intellectual work has significantly influenced your thinking in the past year? What ideas did it introduce you to, and how have you engaged with them since?
• One letter of recommendation specific to their potential for success in the Honors Program speaking to one or more of the following: academic performance, communication skills, creativity, intellectual curiosity and/or leadership. 
• Prior academic experience will be considered (e.g. High school transcript).

Interview with the Honors Faculty

After submission and review of the Honors Program application and materials, the student may be invited to complete an interview with the Honors Program faculty. The in-person interview will be part of a Honors Shadow and Interview Day. The student will spend the morning shadowing a current Honors student, have lunch and then complete their interview with the faculty.

All information regarding Honors Program consideration will be provided via the student’s email address provided in the application.

Email questions to the Honors Program at honors@su.edu.

Requirements to Remain in the Honors Program

To remain in the Honors Program, all students must maintain a minimum overall GPA of 3.0 and achieve a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.3 by graduation.

GPA & Progress Requirements

• Students whose GPA falls below 3.0 are allowed one probationary semester to raise it.
• Students who fail to demonstrate adequate progress toward the required GPA or Honors Program course requirements will be removed from the program.
• Students who do not meet the 3.3 GPA requirement at graduation will not graduate with honors distinction.

Conduct Requirements All students must maintain good academic and social standing as defined by the academic catalog.
A single infraction may result in immediate removal from the program.

Requirements to Complete the Honors Program

To graduate from Shenandoah University with Honors Program distinction, students must complete 15 total credits of honors coursework with a grade of B- or better in each course, distributed as follows:

• 6 credits: Honors General Education courses
• 6 credits: Honors courses within your declared major
• 3 credits: Honors seminars (HON 101, HON 201, HON 301)

Program Rules

• A maximum of two graduate or cross-listed undergraduate/graduate courses may count toward the honors certificate.
• A single course cannot be double-counted toward both General Education and Major requirements.