Incoming First Year and Transfer Students
The Honors College seeks intellectually curious students who are concerned with the world around them. The Honors Curriculum and Community is designed to engage students in a breadth and depth of study culminating in a thesis in the student’s major.
WHY APPLY?
For more than fifty years, the University of Utah has offered Honors programs. The Honors College Curriculum and Community give students unique opportunities to learn to think critically and to develop excellent communication skills and problem solving skills applicable to any and all fields of study and careers. Special Honors-only opportunities include year-long theory into practice (Praxis) Labs, close work with faculty, and thesis projects grounded in a student's major. Only students in the Honors College have the opportunity to earn an Honors Bachelor degree from the University of Utah, the highest degree conferred on an undergraduate.
Liberal Arts and Sciences at the Honors College: Rooted in an interdisciplinary approach to the Humanities, Natural and Social Sciences, and Mathematics, an Honors education aims to contribute to the development of the individual rather than the focus of a specific profession. At the Honors College, we believe that venturing out of your comfort zone is crucial to that individual development. If you are accepted, you’ll take courses in which you encounter complex readings and ideas, and maybe a history role-playing game, that require you to read, think and write in new ways. Your Honors courses will span the Liberal Arts and Sciences, and you will be invited to participate in a diverse range of Praxis Labs addressing current social issues. You’ll be part of a vibrant community that will support you as you work toward completing your Honors degree. Expect stretches of confusion between moments of clarity, knowing that the intellectual struggle from perplexity to understanding can foster some of the deepest learning.
HONORS APPLICATION TIMELINE
HOW TO APPLY?
Incoming first year and transfer students: You may apply through the University of Utah General Admissions application. We use the Common App essay prompts. The prompts are provided within the application. Upload essays via the U application. Applicants who submit completed applications, pay application fees (or have them waived through the Office of Admissions) by the priority November 1 date or the hard deadline, February 1 will be considered. The University of Utah is Test Optional for freshman applications for Fall 2022 admission. ACT/SAT scores are not required for admission, merit scholarships (including department scholarships), or direct admission programs (including Engineering). Freshman applications to the University of Utah for Fall 2022 will be evaluated using a holistic review process that takes into consideration factors such as a student’s high school GPA, course rigor, etc.
*Note: if you are an incoming student who did not apply to the Honors College via your transfer or Common App application, you may utilize the application form linked here, to apply for your entering semester. The form is typically used for current student applications but we will use your uploaded essay to update your incoming application. https://www.honors.utah.edu/admissions/current-students/
HOW IS MY APPLICATION REVIEWED?
The Honors College admissions process is highly competitive. During the holistic review process, readers are looking for bright, socially responsible students who show an interest in engaging in our tradition of a liberal arts and sciences curriculum, a breadth and depth of study, and the Honors community. Each application is reviewed by Honors College readers who carefully evaluate applicant’s rigor of coursework, grades, essays, extracurricular activities, demonstration of intellectual curiosity, and overall fit with Honors mission and goals. Readers consider quality of engagement over sheer quantity, applicant's self-awareness and reflection on extracurricular involvement, and an application's authenticity.
HOW CAN I TRACK MY APPLICATION?
Those applying to the U can track their application online to see if all the portions have been received.
WHEN WILL I FIND OUT ABOUT MY HONORS ADMISSION DECISION?
First-time Freshman applicants who apply by the November 1, 2021 priority date for Summer or Fall 2022 will be mailed a University of Utah general admissions decision in mid-January. Accepted, wait-listed, and not-accepted students who meet this priority date will also receive an Honors decision by email in mid-January in coordination with the general admissions decisions.
Incoming Summer and Fall 2022 applications received after the November 1, 2021 priority deadline (up until February 1, 2022) will be notified by early-April (pending the release of the general University of Utah admissions decision).
Deadlines
- Incoming Freshman and Transfer students are encouraged to apply by our priority date of November 1, 2021 for the Summer or Fall 2022 start. The final deadline is February 1, 2022.
- Priority Application Date: November 1, 2021. Applicants who submit final application, and transcripts to the University Admissions Office by this date are reviewed most favorably (Applications open in August 2021 for Summer and Fall 2022).
- Freshman and Transfer students who wish to begin with us in Spring of 2022 must apply by November 1, 2021.
- Current University of Utah students are admitted each semester. Interested applicants should submit their application by December 27, 2021, for Spring 2022 admission.