Honors Programs
For high-achieving students, the University of Illinois offers a system of interconnected and cooperating honors options. Students can complete more than one option over the course of a normal undergraduate career. Some of these honors programs admit entering freshmen; others are designed to accept students in later semesters. In addition, the University of Illinois works with currently enrolled high achieving students in applying for various nationally competitive awards through the Office of Prestigious Scholarships.
The University of Illinois offers two separate honors program options:
- College Honors Programs: Every college at the University of Illinois has its own honors program. These programs are part of a system known as Illinois Honors, and students in these programs are James Scholars.
- Campus Honors Program: A small campus-wide honors program including students from every college. These students are known as Chancellor’s Scholars.
Through these resources, we encourage the honors student's full intellectual development at the University of Illinois.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why should I join an honors program?
Honors programs at Illinois provide an extra measure of academic opportunity for students of exceptional ability. If you crave challenges and are eager to exceed academic expectations, an honors program will benefit you. These programs can help you be experimental and adventurous as a scholar and a researcher, and to build friendships with students who share those values.
Consider your future. Doing honors work and graduating with honors can have practical, professional value because prospective employers and graduate schools often look for evidence of extra initiative and intellectual depth throughout your undergraduate experience. The strongest appeal of an honors program, however, can be the community it fosters among lively, ambitious students and distinguished faculty.
When can I join?
Some of these honors programs will contact you to offer you admission before you begin your first semester at Illinois. Other programs might become available later in your college career, as your interests and aspirations evolve, and as your level of achievement qualifies you for admission. As an undergraduate, don't hesitate to check with these programs directly if you are interested in belonging.
How do I apply for honors programs?
Unless otherwise noted, for most honors programs that admit freshmen your Undergraduate Application for Admission is the same application used for admission into all honors programs. Your GPA and standardized test scores are reviewed, and your overall record and essay responses are considered very carefully by these programs in the decision process. If you are interested in joining a Illinois honors program, be sure to give complete and honest answers to every question on the application form. When the names, telephone numbers, and e-mail addresses of teachers, coaches, or mentors are asked for, you need to provide them accurately. Use the essays on the application to describe your interests and achievements as thoroughly as you can.
If you are selected for one of these competitive programs, you will be notified directly by that program.