Admissions and Requirements
Honors Program Admissions
Approximately 40 freshmen are selected each year to enter the Honors Program. Admission to the program typically requires a high school grade point average of 3.6 or above. Students must also have a combined SAT score of 1200 or better or, if the student has taken the ACT for admission, a 25 or above is usually required. Lower SAT/ACT scores may be offset by an outstanding GPA and vice versa.
To apply to the Honors Program you should first have applied to and been accepted by Shepherd University. You should then submit an Honors Program Application via email, as instructed to do in the Honors Application section of this site. As part of the application you will be asked to compose a résumé and write a short essay. Specific requirements for the essay are explained in the Honors Application instructions. Application deadline is February 15. We look forward to hearing from you!
Honors Program Requirements
In order to graduate from the Honors Program, students must complete a minimum of 25 credits, to include the following:
- 6 credits of Honors First Year Core (HNRS 102 & HNRS 205)
- 3 credits of Honors Seminar (HNRS 389)
- 3 credits Honors Symposium (HNRS 400)
- At least 11 credits of Honors electives, which may include Honors sections of Core Curriculum courses (e.g. FACS 120H, PSYC 101H, SOCI 203H, etc.); sections of HNRS 389 beyond the first (after taking HNRS 389 the first time to satisfy the Honors Seminar requirement listed above); or 300- or 400-level courses “contracted” for Honors credit (typically, students are allowed to contract only two courses for Honors credit)
In order to remain in good standing with the Honors Program, students must maintain an overall 3.0 GPA and a 3.0 GPA in all Honors courses taken.