Freshmen Honors Admission

Applicant Criteria

In order to be considered, first-year students must have a cumulative high school grade point average of 3.8 or better in college preparatory coursework.  Consistent with Saint Louis University's test optional admissions policy, applicants to the Honors Program are not required to submit standardized test scores to be considered for admission.  Applicants may submit standardized test scores, but those who choose not to will not be disadvantaged in any way in the admission process.

In addition, students will need to submit the following to be considered for admission:

An online application for the University Honors Program is accessible in the Billiken Gateway Portal with the SLU application. 

Completed applications should be submitted by December 1. Decisions will be sent in early March. You will need to confirm your intention to join the honors program via a link sent with the acceptance. 

Personal Statement Prompt

Students need to respond to the following personal statement prompt as part of their application:

The University Honors Program invites students to reflect critically on questions related to professional and academic goals, responsibilities to themselves and their communities, and an overall sense of what makes for a good life. This process of discernment often begins with an honest self-assessment — embracing certain parts of our identity and, occasionally, challenging the labels placed upon us by our families, communities, and society more broadly. For this essay, we invite you to respond to the following prompt (500 words maximum):

“Although I am _____, I am not _____.”

The personal statement is the best means for you to share who you are with our admissions committee, so be creative and strive to write authentically. Don’t just try to write what you think we want to hear or what you think “an honors student” should say. We look forward to reading your essay.

Program Requirements

Students in the University Honors Program complete a minimum of 24 units of honors credit to earn an honors distinction on the transcript. Credit hours can often be used toward both your major and the honors program.

In order to remain in good standing the with the University Honors Program, students must stay actively engaged with the program, complete honors coursework each semester and maintain a 3.5 GPA. Failure to maintain the GPA or satisfactory levels of engagement may result in dismissal from the program, after a warning probation period of one semester.

Students who meet all of the requirements graduate with an honors distinction on their transcripts, an award above the Latin honors that is granted to all students with a 3.5 or higher.