Honors Program

Extraordinary academic opportunities

Carlow’s Honors Program is for students who want extraordinary academic opportunities while making a positive impact in the community. It’s also a way to meet others who are passionate about developing as scholars and ethical leaders.

Only 20 students are selected to enter the Honors Program each year. At the present time, the Honors Program is only accepting applications from new, traditional first-year students. There are no minimum GPA or testing requirements, but competitive applicants are likely to have a high school GPA of at least 3.5 or better. Students must submit an essay as part of the Honors Program application. 

If selected, you’ll receive a $5,000 per year Honors scholarship, which can be combined with other institutional scholarships and aid as long as it doesn’t exceed the cost of tuition. 

You must live on campus for your first two years, maintain a 3.600 cumulative GPA, and complete other program requirements to remain an Honors student.

Honors courses

The Honors Program consists of four Honors courses designed to enhance major fields of study through novel perspectives and new approaches to learning. The courses are often built into a major. Courses are:

• Honors Section of Connecting to Carlow (CTC) required during the first semester
• Honors Section of either Skills Writing (SKW) or Skills Communication (SKC)
• Honors Project within the major (work with a faculty mentor to explore relevant topics through an Honors-designated major course or special tutorial)
• Honors section of either an Ethics and Social Responsibility (ESR) course or a Service Learning (SL) course (offered in a rotation through different disciplines each spring semester) 

Stellar internships and other Honors perks

• The Honors internship program offers students the chance to work alongside professionals in fields such as biomedical research, nonprofit management or historical research. The work experiences and rigorous academic training give Carlow Honors students a leg up in their careers. 
• Most honors classes are limited to 15 students.
• Class registration is open to Honors students before the rest of the student body.
• With the minimum GPA of 3.6 to maintain a spot in the Honors Program, you can apply for an accelerated bachelor’s to master’s program, which allows you to take up to 12 graduate credits at undergraduate pricing.
• Plan events and experiences by serving on the Honors Student Senate. Take part in cultural and social programs.