Information Sessions and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

The University Honors Program is NC State’s central program for academically-motivated and high-achieving students. It enriches the educational experience of a diverse community of academically motivated, intellectually curious, and high-potential students from all communities, providing them with advanced and innovative courses, unique enrichment programs, and high-impact experiences that will empower them to achieve their highest potential.

Consider carefully whether or not the goals of the UHP are consistent with your personal goals for your undergraduate education. We seek to:

• promote the personal, intellectual, and cultural development of our students;
• to foster community and promote student learning, reflection, and service;
• promote an inclusive environment by supporting a diversity of people, cultures, and perspectives;
• encourage students to discuss and debate social and political issues to help them become informed citizens, ethical leaders, and active contributors to our society;
• encourage students to develop a commitment to a civil and thoughtful discourse that respects divergent views and diverse experiences, seeks multiple and competing sources of information when analyzing complex issues, and values the ability to articulate a viewpoint with evidence and clarity;
• provide our students with opportunities for leadership and professional development;
• encourage academic excellence and a commitment to advanced and independent academic inquiry among our students.

No. There are Honors programs at the college and departmental level (please see respective websites), which generally issue their invitations to students during their sophomore or junior years.

Unfortunately, no.  The UHP does not have any scholarship funds to disburse. Please note that the receipt of any of the university merit scholarships does not imply admission to the UHP.

Yes. UHP students may apply to live in the Honors Village (HV), a diverse community of high-achieving students from all majors and colleges at NC State who reside in The Quad (Becton, Bagwell, and Berry Residence Halls) on East Campus. The Honors Village is a dynamic living and learning community that enhances the intellectual exploration and personal development of its residents. The village offers students a wide range of educational and social opportunities that ease the transition to college life and help students make connections with their peers, NC State, and the world around them. It is not a requirement to live in the HV. To apply to live in the Honors Village, students should complete the Housing Application, including the Living and Learning Villages section, and fill out the application for the HV. For more information on the HV, you may visit the website.

If you are interested in participating in the UHP if you attend NC State, then we encourage you to complete the application questions while completing your application to the university. If you do not apply during your initial application process, then you will be able to access the application materials via your WolfPaw account.

In general, the notification date for students who are accepted into the UHP is approximately 2 weeks after NC State’s regular admissions decisions are released, via a notification sent to the email address you have on file in your WolfPaw account.

Notification about your application status will be available approximately 2 weeks after NC State’s admissions decisions are released. Students who are accepted into the program will receive more information about living in the Honors Village by email, generally within two weeks of the submission of your acceptance form. Your first introduction to the program will occur during New Student Orientation in the summer. The UHP staff will host an important information session for all incoming UHP students and their parents at each orientation session. You will receive an email with further details about this information session prior to orientation. Please contact the office if you will be unable to attend any of the orientation sessions, 919.515.2353.

Yes, there is a participation fee for students in the University Honors Program to partially offset the cost of the programs. As students progress through the program, they will be charged a progressively lower fee, as outlined below.

The fee allows us to offer exceptional academic and enrichment experiences for our students. Specifically, the fee will be used to:

• Increase the number of unique HON seminars taught each year, providing students with innovative interdisciplinary courses in a small classroom environment
• Deliver field trips and other experiential learning opportunities
• Bring exceptional speakers and performers to campus for the Honors Forum course
• Support cultural programming opportunities for the program
• Provide support for study abroad opportunities, especially for under-resourced students in the program
• Support undergraduate research activities, particularly research abroad opportunities
• Support community service and engagement activities and grants
• Enhance programming in the Honors Living and Learning Village
• Expand the range of opportunities designed for upperclassmen in the program
• Address additional areas of support essential for the University Honors Program

We seek talented students from all backgrounds. Students who are not able to pay the fee should complete a fee waiver request form (link opens in a new tab). Please note that NC State must have a completed FAFSA form for any student who requests a fee waiver.

Students who join the program during their second semester (Spring) at NC State will begin participating in the program during the second semester of their first year at the university. The fee will be assessed then according to the fee schedule listed on this page.

Students in the UHP must complete the following in order to graduate from the program. For additional details about and examples of specific program components, follow the hyperlinks embedded here.

In order to successfully complete the program, UHP students are required to pass 12 hours of approved coursework by the time they graduate. Generally, these courses are used to satisfy General Education Program requirements so that students do not take additional courses to complete their approved coursework for the program. There are many types of courses that can be used to complete this requirement.

• HON seminars (students are required to pass 6 credit-hours, but may take more)
• Honors sections of departmental courses
• HON 398 courses
• Graduate (500+ level) courses
• Independent study courses
• Independent research courses
• Honors contract courses

The HON seminars stimulate an undergraduate culture of research by providing a holistic “mind-on” research experience within a cross-disciplinary context as a way to prepare University Honors Program students for critical thinking, reading, and problem-solving skills development. The small class size provides an ideal setting for constructive argumentation, analysis, synthesis, and pointed conclusions.

Honors Forum is the co-curricular heart of the UHP. It is a zero credit-hour course that students must successfully pass for two semesters. In order to successfully pass the course, students must attend a minimum of 12 Honors Forum events over the course of the semester. Each semester there are roughly 200 events to choose from and include a wide variety of guest lectures, performances, field trips, and small group discussions.

University Honors students must complete a total of three high-impact experiences by the time they graduate. These are opportunities for students to engage in experiential learning outside the classroom in a way that directly aligns with their individual goals. This requirement also gives students the opportunity to reflect on how these experiences impact their learning in preparation for life after college such as graduate school or employment applications. Examples include, but are not limited to

• On- and off-campus leadership roles
• Disciplinary breadth
• Participation in UHP exploration trips
• Sustained volunteer service
• Sustained undergraduate research
• Professional development experiences
• Sustained participation in Arts NC State
• Other experiences as approved by your UHP advisor