Apply to the Honors College
Interested in joining the Honors College community and making the most of your College of Charleston experience?
We’ve got everything you need to know about the application process, deadlines, what we look for, the Honors College essay, scholarship opportunities, and more.
Applying as a first-year student for Fall 2025? All you need to do is email your completed Honors essay (found below) to honors@cofc.edu by January 15th.
Apply to the Honors College
Ready to join the Honors community? The Honors College application is integrated directly into the College of Charleston's admission application. Check the box within your CofC application that indicates your interest in Honors, then follow the directions for the supplemental Honors College essay.
Start your application
Join a Community of Scholars
There are several different ways to join the Honors College community.
For students looking to take full advantage of everything the Honors College has to offer, the Honors Comprehensive experience is the best option for you. When you apply to the College of Charleston Honors College, you’re applying for Honors Comprehensive where you’ll benefit from four years of supportive peers, personalized mentorship, and special opportunities.
Most students apply to join Honors Comprehensive as an incoming freshman, but students transferring into the College of Charleston and even current College of Charleston students can also apply to join Honors Comprehensive.
Students in the ARCH Scholars Program are also members of the Honors community for the two-year duration of their program. We identify incoming students we think are a good fit for the program and send you an acceptance notification directly through your College of Charleston admissions portal. There’s no application process for the ARCH Scholars Program.
Application Deadlines
Apply by the appropriate date to be sure your application receives full consideration.
| Application Type | Deadline | Apply By | Decision Release |
|---|---|---|---|
| Incoming Freshmen | Honors Priority Deadline | November 1 | Expected December 15 |
| Incoming Freshman | Honors Deadline | January 15 | Expected March 15 |
| Transfer Students | Fall Honors Deadline | May 1 | Admitted on rolling basis |
| Current Students | Fall Honors Deadline | May 15 | Admitted on rolling basis |
Application Instructions
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Incoming Freshmen
Applying for the comprehensive Honors College experience is easy. To be considered, simply indicate that you're interested in applying to the Honors College when asked to do so on your your College of Charleston or CommonApp application. Then when prompted, follow the instructions to complete the supplemental Honors essay.
Application Considerations
Honors College applications are reviewed holistically, which means we assess all the information available in your application. Our review committee considers all of the following:
- The rigor of your high school coursework and your performance in the classroom.
- Your response to the required essay (and optional essay, if submitted).
- Demonstrated leadership and community engagement listed in the activities section of the application.
- Test scores (if submitted).
Required Honors College Essay
As an incoming student, you’ll submit a supplemental Honors College essay. The essay prompt for incoming freshmen applicants for Fall 2025 is below. Responses should be 500-650 words in length.
Consider the following individual identity descriptors: creator, doer, explorer, change agent, seeker. Choose one of these descriptors that best encapsulates your core identity. Provide 2-3 concrete examples of how the descriptor you chose reflects your identity. This is your opportunity to share a meaningful experience, a unique interest, or your involvement in a diverse community. How might this core identity translate into action as a scholar-citizen at the College of Charleston? In what ways do you hope to develop your core identity during college?
Apply to the College of Charleston - The rigor of your high school coursework and your performance in the classroom.
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Transfer Students
If you're applying as a transfer student to the College of Charleston, you can also apply to transfer into the Honors College.
In most cases, it will take transfer students at least six semesters (3 years) to complete the Honors curriculum regardless of what transfer credits are awarded. If you have any questions about whether you'd be a good fit to transfer into the Honors College, please email honors@cofc.edu.
Transfer Application Materials
Transfer applicants who are interested in the Honors College are required to submit a supplemental Honors statement of intent on their transfer application to the College of Charleston. This statement should be 250-500 words and should cover why you believe you are a good fit for the Honors College, why you have decided to leave your current/previous school(s), and what you hope to gain from participating in the Honors College. Applicants must also submit their high school transcript via the application.
What We Look For
A cumulative college GPA of 3.4 or higher is required for consideration and a GPA above 3.8 is preferred. In reviewing applications to the Honors College, the admissions team considers your statement of intent alongside your transcript(s) and activities list.
Apply as a transfer -
Current College of Charleston Students
In certain instances, current College of Charleston students who aren't members of the Honors College can apply to become an Honors College student.
In most cases, it will take students at least six semesters to complete the Honors curriculum, so we typically only review students who have completed no more than two semesters at the College of Charleston. If you have any questions about whether you'd be a good fit to join the Honors College as a current CofC student, please email honors@cofc.edu.
Honors Application for Current CofC Students
Interested applicants should submit the Current CofC Student Honors application, which includes a statement of intent and resume. The statement of intent should be 250-500 words and should cover why you believe you are a good fit for the Honors College and what you hope to gain from participating in the Honors College.
The application for current College of Charleston students will be open in early January for those looking to apply for Fall 2025. We do not take applications for a spring start date for current students. Applicants can expect to hear back in late May or early June after spring grades have been released.
What We Look For
A cumulative college GPA of 3.4 or higher is required for consideration and a GPA above 3.8 is preferred. In reviewing applications to the Honors College, the admissions team considers your statement of intent alongside your transcript(s) and resume.
Apply as a current student -
ARCH Scholars Program
There’s no application process for the ARCH Scholars Program. We identify incoming students we think are a good fit for the program and send you an acceptance notification directly through your College of Charleston admissions portal.
Received an invitation to the ARCH Scholars Program? Learn more about the two-year ARCH Scholars experience.
Why you should apply early
If you apply early action or early decision to the Honors College by our priority deadline, you become eligible for the Charleston Fellows Program. This is our top scholars program, and all students in the program receive Honors College merit scholarships.
We consider all early action and early decision applicants for the Charleston Fellows Program (there’s no separate application).
But you must indicate you are applying early action or early decision to ensure your application is considered. So apply today!