Is a Public University Honors Program a Good Option?
Last Updated on October 4, 2024 by Jill Schwitzgebel
College honors programs have existed at some universities for seventy years.
Here are the things you need to consider to to help your student decide if a public university honors program is a good option for them:
Community Within a Large University
In some ways, honors colleges help students to experience the best of both worlds – they get the amenities and excitement of a large university, but with some of the built-in community of a smaller private college. Is an Honors College at a school with 35000 students going to feel like the same experience as a liberal arts college with less than 3000? No. And if your student has their heart set on that small college experience, then the Honors college is probably not the best way to go.
But, most universities DO work to create a community for the honors college students. At many schools, students have the opportunity to do a special week-long orientation with other Honors students prior to the beginning of the school year. Colleges will host special events throughout the year just for honors college students. These events may range from tailgates on a football game day to special lecturers and faculty dinners.
Ask: Will the honors experience extend beyond the classroom or the dorm?
More Affordable
The sticker price at a state university is generally much lower than a private one. So there is a savings right off the bat. But, beyond that, top students will often be offered merit scholarships to attend the honors college which will offset the university costs even further. While a National Merit Scholar would not be eligible for any merit money at most elite schools, state universities will usually be eager to entice them financially.
Ask: Could we still afford this school without a merit scholarship?
Smaller Class Sizes
Generally courses that are designated as honors courses will have a cap on the number of students in the class. Instead of 300, there may be just 20-25. This allows professors and students to get to know each other better, which can have a big impact when students need recommendations for internships, graduate schools, or jobs after college. An honors course does not necessarily mean that the class will be more difficult than its non-honors counterpart. It means it will be different. Professors who teach these courses say that they expect more critical thinking and discussion in these classes, and that they generally will assign more writing.
Again, know that not EVERY class your student takes will be an honors class. So especially in the first two years, students will still be in many large lecture-format classrooms or auditoriums with hundreds of students. So if your student really dislikes that lecture format and prefers to write papers and have class discussion, then a smaller college is still the better way to go for them.
Ask: Are there honors sections of core general ed classes? How hard is it to schedule those (or how many sections are there)? Do students have to take honors seminars in addition to regular graduation requirements? What constitutes an honors course as the student begins to take classes in their major? Do all majors have honors courses available?
Special Housing
At most every school, the honors college students have the opportunity to live together in designated honors dorms. In my experience, the honors housing quality also tends to be a step up from the regular freshman dorms. And, at least in theory, students should be surrounded by like-minded students who are equally invested in their education. At some schools, honors seminars are held in classrooms right in the honors dorms.
Ask: What is the availability of honors housing after freshman year? Is honors housing in a separate dorm or does it share space with non-honors housing?
Access to Research
One negative of a large university is that it can be very difficult for undergraduates to be able to get hands-on research experience. They are competing with graduate students that are often receiving funding to do research. Remember, research occurs in all fields, not just the sciences, so this applies to all majors. Employers and graduate schools covet students that have had that research experience in college. One way to get preferential consideration for research as an undergraduate is usually via the honors college.
Ask: Do honors students get to do research as undergraduates? Will professors take the time to mentor them on a research project and help them with a thesis when they are seniors?
Priority Class Registration
At the majority of programs, students in the honors college get to register first for classes. In fact, a second semester honors college freshman could get to register for classes before a senior at the same school. At a big university where classes fill, and prerequisites are necessary to be able to continue in a course sequence, this is a huge bonus.
Ask: What is the registration process like for honors students? Will they have registration priority? What is the four year graduation rate for an honors student? (This is one way to help gauge whether students were able to get the courses they need in a timely manner, when combined with other information.)
Accountability
To remain in the honors program, students typically need to maintain a minimum GPA, usually ranging from 3.2 up to as high as 3.5. Any merit scholarship is also typically tied to that GPA. Honors students are forced to learn to be organized and to balance work and play pretty quickly. Overall, freshman retention rates for students in honors colleges are generally higher than for the university at large.
Ask: What GPA does the student need to maintain to remain in the honors college and receive their scholarship? Is that GPA by semester or cumulative? How long is the probationary period to pull up the GPA, if needed? How many students that begin in the honors college, remain in the honors college for all four years? Can a student who is not in the honors college still graduate with Latin honors?
Senior Thesis
Many times, one of the honors college requirements is that students write a thesis their senior year. A good program will be preparing them for that gradually during their years at college. Other honors colleges offer the thesis as an option. A thesis can really set a student apart when it’s time to apply for graduate schools or jobs.
Ask: Is a thesis required or offered? How much support are students given to complete it?
Final Thoughts
Honors colleges can be a fantastic option for strong, motivated students. I think they are well worth the time it takes students to write the additional essay usually required for admission. You need to be aware that every honors college will operate a little bit differently. Some do have automatic acceptance based on a student’s application. Some, like Clemson, accept only students who were in the top 3% of their high school class and target Ivy-level students. Others accept so many students that almost half of their entering class is admitted into the honors college. You can assume that there will be a difference in honors experiences based on how students are considered for admission. Ask about that.
One question I think that students need to ask themselves is whether they would still be happy at the university, even if they were not in the honors college. They should also consider that there is a level of responsibility required to remain in the honors college – staying on track with the number of honors courses required, maintaining their GPA, potentially working on a thesis, etc. A great public honors program can definitely give students many of the same benefits that a student might receive from an elite liberal arts college though, for just a fraction of the cost. And for those students who are looking for both an academic and financial “safety” school, these programs often fit the bill.
Here are some of the top-rated public honors programs in the country:
- Arizona State, Barrett Honors College
- City University of New York (CUNY), Macaulay Honors College
- Florida Atlantic University, Wilkes Honors College
- Kansas University Honors Program
- Penn State, Schreyer Honors College
- South Carolina Honors College
- UT Austin Plan II Honors Program
