FAQs
Academics
1. Will someone work with Honors College students to help them plan their academic schedule?Applications/Application Deadlines
1. Should a student apply to the Honors College or to one of the programs within the Honors College?2. If a student received a letter informing him/her that he/she qualifies for certain programs within the Honors College, will he/she be automatically admitted to those programs?
3. What is the application deadline for the Honors College?
4. What are the enrollment deadlines for the Honors College programs/majors?
Benefits of Being in the Honors College
1. What are the benefits of being in the Honors College?Graduation
1. If a student is enrolled in an Honors College program, does that mean he/she will "graduate with honors?"Honors College Programs
1. Is the Honors College the same thing as the Honors Program?2. Can a student be enrolled in more than one Honors College program?
3. How do the Honors Program and the Baylor Interdisciplinary Core work together?
4. Is there a one-page overview of the four different Honors College programs?
5. Whom should I contact to learn more about the Honors College and its four programs?
Housing
1. What is the deadline to apply to reside in the HRC?2. Do all Honors College students live in the Honors Residential College (HRC)?
3. How many students reside in the HRC?
4. How many incoming students are accepted to reside in the HRC each year?
5. If a student wants to live in the HRC, how can he/she make sure that he/she will have a space there?
6. How can a student check on the status of his/her HRC application?
Orientation
1. What is Orientation, and is it mandatory to attend?Scholarships
1. Does the Honors College offer scholarships for incoming/current students?Academics
1. Will someone work with Honors College students to help them plan their academic schedule?
Faculty and/or staff in each Honors College program assist all Honors College students in academic advisement prior to the start of each semester.
Applications/Application Deadlines
1. Should a student apply to the Honors College or to one of the programs within the Honors College?
To be a member of the Honors College, a student must submit the Honors College Common Application (online). Upon successful submission, he/she will be directed to submit one or more program-specific applications. The student MUST submit at least one program-specific application to be considered for entrance into that program and into the Honors College. Entrance into the Honors College is by way of the program.
2. If a student received a letter informing him/her that he/she qualifies for certain programs within the Honors College, will he/she be automatically admitted to those programs?
No, to be admitted, he/she still has to submit the Honors College Common Application and subsequently apply to the particular program or programs for which he/she qualifies and which interests him/her.
3. What is the application deadline for the Honors College?
The Honors College is comprised of four programs, and entrance into the Honors College is by way of a program. For each program that requires an application, its deadline is as follows:
BIC Application Deadline: Applicants are admitted on a rolling basis throughout the year, and acceptance e-mails are sent on a weekly basis following phone interviews. Interested students are encouraged to apply as early as possible for advising and housing purposes. (NOTE: You may only enter the BIC as an incoming freshman.)
Great Texts is offered as a major/minor and does not have an application deadline. If you desire to major/minor in Great Texts, submit the Honors College application and simply select "Great Texts" when asked to indicate the program(s) in the Honors College to which you would like to apply. After submitting the Honors College application, you will be asked to select whether you would like to add Great Texts as a major or minor.
Honors Program Application Deadline: Applicants are admitted on a rolling basis throughout the year, and acceptance letters will be sent on a monthly basis. Interested students are encouraged to apply as early as possible for advising and housing purposes.
University Scholars Application Deadline: Applicants are admitted on a rolling basis throughout the year, and acceptance letters will be sent on a monthly basis. Interested students are encouraged to apply as early as possible for advising and housing purposes.
Honors Residential College Application Deadline: Admission is by special application only and is competitive; rooms in the HRC are in high demand. Therefore, we encourage you to apply, or to reapply, for admission early. To begin the application process, go to www.baylor.edu/hrc/apply.
4. What are the enrollment deadlines for the Honors College programs/majors?
Baylor Interdisciplinary Core (BIC): Because each entering BIC class of students progresses through the curriculum together, you must enroll in the BIC your first semester as a freshman.
Great Texts: This is offered as a major/minor. You may declare it as such at any time. You may switch to or add Great Texts as a major/minor in the academic advisement office located on the first floor of the Paul L. Foster Success Center (Sid Richardson Building).
Honors Program: If you have at least a 3.5 GPA at the start of your first spring semester, you will be invited to join the Honors Program. The latest you can join this program is the first semester of your junior year.
University Scholars: This is offered as a major; however, in order that students derive the full benefit from the program, University Scholars will not accept students who have less than three years (e.g., juniors/seniors) or less than 90 hours remaining to complete their undergraduate degree at Baylor. All Scholars must therefore complete at least 90 hours as students within the program. Students who enter late are responsible for changing their majors to University Scholars. Students with less than 30 credit hours can change their major in the academic advisement office located on the first floor of the Paul L. Foster Success Center (Sid Richardson Building).
Benefits of Being in the Honors College
1. What are the benefits of being in the Honors College?
Among the many riches students will discover in the Baylor Honors College are the following:
Living-Learning Residence Life
Take advantage of on-campus housing opportunities designed for Honors College students in order to strike a balance between social life and serious intellectual pursuits. (Click here for more details.)
Interdisciplinary Learning
Take courses that bridge a number of departments and integrate the sciences and the humanities.
Primary Texts
Wrestle with the greatest books from the greatest minds, rather than from textbooks or commentaries.
Team Teaching
Enter into, and learn from, conversations between faculty.
Seminar Classes
Rather than passive note-taking, participate actively in the exposition, analysis, and criticism of texts, arguments, and experiments.
Extracurricular Intellectual Pursuits
Attend lectures and join book or film discussion groups specifically designed for Honors College students.
Scholarship/Fellowship Opportunities
Pursue, with the aid of academic advisors, a range of scholarship and fellowship opportunities for post-undergraduate study.
Graduation
1. If a student is enrolled in an Honors College program, does that mean he/she will "graduate with honors?"
The merit of graduating with honors is not linked to a student's enrollment in an Honors College program but is based on the number of credits a student earns at Baylor University and his/her GPA. Students graduating in residence are eligible for the honors cum laude, magna cum laude, and summa cum laude under the following conditions:
94 credits earned at Baylor:
• Cum Laude: 3.75 GPA
• Magna Cum Laude: 3.85 GPA
• Summa Cum Laude: 3.95 GPA
61-93 credits earned at Baylor:
• Cum Laude: 3.80 GPA
• Magna Cum Laude: 3.90 GPA
60 credits earned at Baylor:
• Cum Laude: 3.85 GPA
• Magna Cum Laude: 3.95 GPA
In addition, satisfactory performance on a specified comprehensive examination may be required to confirm eligibility for graduation with honors.
Students earning a Baylor degree but taking the senior year in architecture, dentistry, forestry, clinical laboratory science, medicine, or optometry may qualify for graduation with honors if they have earned honors in Baylor and also in the professional program. The professional school must certify that they have qualified for honors on the work submitted for the senior year.
Honors College Programs
1. Is the Honors College the same thing as the Honors Program?
No, the Honors Program is one of four programs within the Honors College. The others are the Baylor Interdisciplinary Core (BIC), the Great Texts Program (GTX), and the University Scholars Program (UNSC).
2. Can a student be enrolled in more than one Honors College program?
Yes, all of the programs are complementary to one another; however, the student needs to submit a separate application for each program.
3. How do the Honors Program and the Baylor Interdisciplinary Core work together?
The Honors Program and the Baylor Interdisciplinary Core (BIC) are complementary, allowing students to enroll in both (which many of our students do). View "How the Honors Program & BIC Work Together."
4. Is there a one-page overview of the four different Honors College programs?
Yes, simply view "Academic Programs of the Honors College."
5. Whom should I contact to learn more about the Honors College and its four programs?
In addition to the people listed below, please access each program's Web site for more detailed contact information.
- Baylor Interdisciplinary Core
Ms. Hillary Train or Dr. Melanie Nogalski, Program Coordinators - Great Texts
Dr. Scott Moore, Director; or Ms. Michele Anderson, Administrator - The Honors Program
Ms. Diane Haun, Office Coordinator; or Dr. Albert Beck, Admissions and Advising Coordinator - University Scholars
Ms. Doris Kelly, Office Manager
Housing
1. What is the deadline to apply to reside in the HRC?
Admission is by application only and is competitive; rooms in the HRC are in high demand. Therefore, we encourage your child to apply, or to reapply, for admission early. To begin the application process, go to www.baylor.edu/hrc/apply.
2. Do all Honors College students live in the Honors Residential College (HRC)?
No, but it is seen as an increasingly desirable place to live.
Given the close interaction with distinguished faculty, the distinct privilege to live among peers who cherish learning and growing, the on-site lectures by world-renown speakers, and the never-ending opportunities to fellowship and create close bonds with mentors and fellow students alike, it's no wonder that the Honors Residential College (HRC) had the highest retention rate among its members for fall 2008.
Higher, that is, than any other residence hall, living-learning center, or college on campus!
• Alexander Hall: 89.9%
• Memorial Hall: 88.9%
Prospective students set their hopes on residing in the HRC while merely high school juniors when they hear about the residential college at Premiere (prior to even applying to Baylor)! The HRC even has "lifers" - those who've resided in the facility all four of their academic years as a student of the Honors College.
Find out what drives current members to return.
3. How many students reside in the HRC?
The HRC is comprised of Memorial and Alexander Halls. Memorial houses 203 females, and Alexander houses 141 males.
4. How many incoming students are accepted to reside in the HRC each year?
The number of acceptances varies depending on the number of current residents who re-apply.
5. If a student wants to live in the HRC, how can he/she make sure that he/she will have a space there?
Step 1: He/she first needs to be accepted to Baylor.
Step 2: Once accepted to Baylor, the student should put down his/her deposit and apply for housing using the general housing form. (On this form, select a traditional form of housing, in addition to applying to the HRC. This allows the student to have on-campus housing even if he/she is not accepted to the HRC.)
Step 3: To be considered for membership in the HRC, the student must be admitted to one or more of the Honors College Programs -- Baylor Interdisciplinary Core, Great Texts, Honors Program, or University Scholars. We nonetheless encourage students to apply to the HRC simultaneously. The student's application for membership in the HRC will be processed pending his/her admission to an Honors College program. (View HRC application details.) There are no guarantees, but the earlier a student completes these applications, the better his/her chances of living in the HRC.
6. How can a student check on the status of his/her HRC application?
To check on the status of an HRC application or for more information about residing in the HRC, e-mail Ms. Megan Witherspoon at Megan_Witherspoon@baylor.edu.
Orientation
1. What is Orientation, and is it mandatory to attend?
Orientation is a two-day program that's essential for all incoming and transfer students. During orientation, you'll meet with an advisor to discuss your degree plan and register for classes, but there is so much more. It is an opportunity to explore academics, campus life, and begin developing important relationships with faculty, staff, and students. There are also opportunities to hear important information and have all of your questions answered.
• Baylor Orientation
• Orientation Dates
Scholarships
1. Does the Honors College offer scholarships for incoming/current students?
For incoming students, the Honors College offers the C. Clifton Robinson and Betsy Sharp Robinson Endowed Scholarship. This is a renewable need- and academic-based scholarship.
For current students, the Honors College offers:
• C. Clifton Robinson and Betsy Sharp Robinson Endowed Scholarship (need- and academic-based)
• Glennis McCrary Goodrich Scholarship Award for International Research (need- and academic-based)
For information about additional scholarships and fellowships for which you may be eligible, visit www.baylor.edu/scholarships.
