Honors Programs/Colleges: What They Are (and Whether They’re Worth It)

“Honors” gets thrown around a lot in college admissions and it can mean wildly different things depending on the school. Sometimes it’s a golden ticket. Sometimes it’s… just a fancier dorm and extra homework.

Here’s how to tell the difference:

Honors Program vs. Honors College

They are not the same thing.

Honors Program

• Usually a subset of the larger university

• May involve:

  • A handful of honors-only courses

  • Priority registration

  • Optional thesis or capstone

• Often lighter-touch and easier to drop if it’s not a fit

Honors College

• A separate academic unit within the university

• Typically includes:

  • A defined curriculum

  • Dedicated advising

  • Honors housing

  • A stronger cohort experience

• Feels more like a “college within a college”

Translation: honors colleges tend to be more immersive (and more demanding).

Why Students Like Honors Colleges

When done well, honors can offer real perks:

• Smaller classes More discussion, less lecture hall anonymity.

• Early or priority registration A huge perk, especially for popular majors.

• Closer faculty relationships Helpful for research, mentorship, and recommendation letters.

• Enhanced housing Often newer, quieter, or just straight up nicer.

• Academic community You’re surrounded by other students who (mostly) care about learning.

For some students, honors makes a big school feel more manageable!

Why Honors Isn’t Automatically a Win

Potential downsides:

• Extra requirements Additional credits, theses, or seminars on top of your major.

• Less flexibility Especially tough for double majors, BFA students, or pre-professional tracks.

• GPA pressure Honors courses can be more demanding without always boosting GPA.

• Opportunity cost Time spent on honors work is time not spent on internships, rehearsals, or research

Important note: employers and grad schools generally care more about what you did than whether “honors” appears on your transcript.

Who Honors Is Usually a Good Fit For

Honors tends to work best for students who:

• Love discussion-based, writing-heavy classes

• Want close faculty mentorship

• Are intellectually curious beyond their major

• Thrive in smaller academic communities (but want the benefits/culture of a larger school)

• Are not already overloaded with rigid program requirements

Who Might Want to Skip It

Honors may not be worth it if you:

• Are in a highly structured major (engineering, nursing, many BFAs)

• Plan to double major or add multiple minors

• Want maximum schedule flexibility

• Prefer experiential learning over academic theory

• Are choosing between honors and a significant merit scholarship elsewhere

A Smart (and Often Overlooked) Honors Advantage: Merit Aid

At many colleges, honors programs and honors colleges are used to:

• Attract higher-achieving students

• Raise the academic profile of the incoming class

• Compete with more selective schools

That often translates to significantly more merit scholarship funding.

What this can look like in practice:

• A student who might be middle-of-the-pack at a highly selective school

• Becomes a top academic recruit at a slightly less selective one

• And is offered:

  • Substantial merit aid

  • Honors coursework and advising

  • Small classes and faculty access

  • A more rigorous academic experience than they’d get elsewhere

Important caveats:

• Not all honors programs come with money (some are purely academic)

• Scholarships may be tied to:

  • GPA minimums

  • Continued honors participation

• Honors should still fit the student, cheaper is not helpful if it makes them miserable!

Bottom line: honors colleges are not for everyone, but for academically-motivated students who want the best of both worlds (small school feel in a large school environment), they can be an amazing opportunity!