Honors College Pathways

You apply! If you want to take full advantage of everything the Honors College can offer you, the we strongly encourage you to apply to our University Honors Program.

The application for the University Honors Program is built into your College of Charleston application.

Check the box within your College of Charleston application that indicates your interest in the Honors College, then follow the directions for the University Honors Program.

The only additional material we ask you to provide is an Honors-specific supplement essay. To determine if you’re a good fit for the University Honors Program, we’ll take a holistic look at your essay response, your activities list, and your transcript. Test scores are optional.

Students of all interests, backgrounds, and majors thrive in the University Honors Program. Generally speaking, you’re likely a good fit for the program if you…

• Took challenging high school courses (e.g. AP, IB, DE)
• Demonstrate consistently strong grades in those more rigorous courses
• Took four years of math
• Have taken on sustained leadership and engagement
• Can show us strong writing skills
• Are someone who wants to make the most out of their college career

Our University Honors Program offers you the complete Honors College experience.

You'll get all the benfits of our University Honors Program:

Additional scholarships and specialized programs: You’ll be eligible to apply for our top scholars program the Charleston Fellows, the International Scholars Program, the Honors Program in Business, Honors summer enrichment grants, and much more!

A four-year Honors advisor: In addition to your assigned major advisor, you’ll be mentored by an Honors College faculty advisor. You’ll work together to figure out what's best for you—the best classes, the best opportunities, the best resources to help you develop and thrive.

An interdisciplinary curriculum: You’ll benefit from our full course offerings, which feature small, seminar-style classes with invigorating discussion and coursework that helps you develop problem-solving skills for the real world.

Honors Engaged. A year-long service-learning project that introduces you to the life of a scholar-citizen. You'll learn proven community impact strategies, then apply those ideas as an active volunteer with a local organization.

Honors College connections. Our partnerships with organizations like the Medical University of South Carolina allow us to connect you with unique and exclusive learning opportunities.

Plus the Core Advantages of the Honors College:

The Honors Living Learning Community. You'll get first-year priority housing in the newly renovated Joe E. Berry Residence Hall, home of the Honors College Living-Learning Community.

Priority registration. You'll get early access when signing up for classes so that you can maximize your academic experience here at the College of Charleston.

The Honors Learning Center. You'll have 24/7 access to the study spaces, communal lounges, and kitchen in our Honors Learning Center throughout your four years in college (whether you live there or not).

Honors student events and activities. You'll be welcomed at the programming and activities hosted by the Honors College and the Honors Student Association throughout the year.

Exclusive Honors College learning experiences. You’ll be eligible to participate in Honors College Abroad or our Honors Entrepreneurship Living-Learning Community.

In the University Honors Program, your experience will include at least 22 Honors credits (which typically equates to eight total classes).

Year One: 10 - 12 total Honors Credits (4 courses)

• First Year Seminar
• Honors Engaged
• Honors Academic Writing
• Foundation Course

• Interdisciplinary colloquia
• Advanced seminars
• Quantitative Literacy

• A year-long research project called a Bachelor's Essay that's tailored to academic interests

• Year One: 3.0 cumulative GPA
• Year Two: 3.2 cumulative GPA
• Year Three: 3.3 cumulative GPA
• Year Four: 3.4 cumulative GPA

If you complete all the requirements of the University Honors College by the time you graduate, you'll be recognized with...

• A special University Honors Program graduation ceremony
• An Honors College medal
• An Honors College certificate
• A notation on your transcript

University Honors Program courses are intimate, thought-provoking, and made-up entirely of Honors students.

Many of them can fulfill general education or major/minor requirements and Honors requirements at the same time. All of them will encourage you to explore complex issues and to hone your problem-solving and critical thinking skills.

In the University Honors Program, you’ll typically take 7 or 8 total HONS classes over the course of your four years in college:

Honors First-Year Seminar course: HONS 100: Beyond George Street is a one-credit course designed to streamline your transition to college by connecting you with resources, tools, and opportunities.

HONS 103: Honors Engaged: A year-long, collaborative service-learning project. You'll learn proven community impact strategies, then apply those ideas as an active volunteer with a local organization.

Honors Academic Writing: The Honors version of the campus wide First Year Writing requirement, designed to prepare you to communicate effectively and think critically.

An Honors Foundation course: Honors-versions of popular intro-level courses taught from around campus.

Quantitative Literacy: A course that fulfills the college's general education mathematics requirement and enhances your quantitative reasoning skills, to prepare you for a world where data is everywhere.

Interdisciplinary Colloquia: Courses built around thought-provoking concepts, designed to fine tune your critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

Advanced Seminars: Courses that require deep dives into subject matter that require you to analyze concepts and develop your own interpretations and solutions.

Plus, in your senior year you'll cap off your Honors College education a senior thesis project called the bachelor's essay. You’ll work one-on-one with a faculty advisor on a year-long research project. The project is guided by your passions and enhanced by your mentor’s expertise.

Accepted into the University Honors Program? There’s no extra step to claim your spot. Once you submit your deposit to the College of Charleston, you’re officially a member of the Honors College!

You get invited! There’s no separate application to be admitted into the General Honors College pathway. We review your application to the College and Charleston and look for signs of standout academic performance in high school, plus the potential to hit the ground running here at college.

If we think you’re a good fit for the program, we’ll reach out! You’ll receive an official acceptance notification directly from the Honors College through your College of Charleston admissions portal.

As a student in our General Honors College pathway, you're a fully-fledged member of our Honors College community.

And as part of that community, you'll benefit from the core advantages of an Honors College education:

The Honors Living Learning Community. You'll get first-year priority housing in the newly renovated Joe E. Berry Residence Hall, home of the Honors College Living-Learning Community.

Priority registration. You'll get early access when signing up for classes so that you can maximize your academic experience here at the College of Charleston.

The Honors Learning Center. You'll have 24/7 access to the study spaces, communal lounges, and kitchen in our Honors Learning Center throughout your four years in college (whether you live there or not).

Honors student events and activities. You'll be welcomed at the programming and activities hosted by the Honors College and the Honors Student Association throughout the year.

Exclusive Honors College learning experiences. You’ll be eligible to participate in Honors College Abroad or our Honors Entrepreneurship Living-Learning Community.

A first-year professional advisor. You'll have access to a dedicated first-year Honors College professional advisor.

In the General Honors College pathway, your experience will include at least 13 Honors credits (which typically equates to five total classes).

Year One: 4 Honors Credits (2 courses)

• First Year Seminar
• Foundation Course

• 3 Honors Courses

You’ll also be expected to engage in Honors community experiences designed to help you grow professionally and personally.

There is also a GPA minimum required to remain in good standing within the General Honors College pathway:

• Year One: 3.0 cumulative GPA
• Year Two: 3.2 cumulative GPA
• Year Three: 3.3 cumulative GPA
• Year Four: 3.4 cumulative GPA

Honors College courses are intimate, thought-provoking, and made-up entirely of Honors students.

Many of them can fulfill general education or major/minor requirements and Honors requirements at the same time. All of them will encourage you to explore complex issues and to hone your problem-solving and critical thinking skills.

In the General Honors College Program, you’ll typically take 5 total HONS classes over the course of your four years in college:

Honors First-Year Seminar course: HONS 100: Beyond George Street is a one-credit course designed to streamline your transition to college by connecting you with resources, tools, and opportunities.

An Honors Foundation course: Honors-versions of popular intro-level courses taught from around campus.

Three additional HONS courses: During your sophomore, junior, and senior years, you’ll take three additional Honors course of your choosing.

Received an invitation to join the General Honors College? There’s no extra step to claim your spot. Once you submit your deposit to the College of Charleston, you’re officially a member of the Honors College!