Apply to the University Honors Program
The University Honors Program looks for students who aspire to expertise and interdisciplinarity, respond creatively to pressing questions, and feel called to build healthy, inclusive communities.
Application materials
Through your application, we want to get to know you and understand your hopes for your college education. You will primarily do this with the inclusion of two components beyond those generally required by KU: an essay and short response to three questions.
Essays should be intellectually curious, thoughtful, well-organized, proofread, and limited to 500 words. We will evaluate the quality of your writing and your ability to provide an expansive yet focused response to one of these three prompts:
- Option 1: The University Honors Program highly values interdisciplinarity. Identify two of your academic interests or passions that significantly contrast and describe the ways they interact or uniquely intersect. How might the exploration and connection of these two ideas influence your plans for college and the future?
- Option 2: Pulitzer Prize winner and native Kansan William Allen White once wrote that “youth should demand change in the world. Youth should not accept the old order if the world is to move on.” Drawing on your own experiences, what change do you want to see in the world? What will your role be in seeing these changes through, and how will your time in college prepare you?
- Option 3: Amelia Earhart, Kansan and first woman to fly over the Atlantic, said: “Some of us have great runways already built for us. If you have one, take off. But if you don't have one, realize it is your responsibility to grab a shovel and build one for yourself and for those who will follow after you.” What are your plans for building a runway for yourself and others, and where are you headed once the path has been paved?
Please upload your responses to all three questions as a single Word or PDF document and limit your total word count to 1,200 words combined. Convey the factors that shaped you and demonstrate skills of clarity and brevity when you answer each of these three questions:
- Question 1: List no more than five items — clubs and organizations, employment, community service, awards and recognition, extra-curricular interests, personal or family obligations — in descending order of significance, with the most significant item first. For each, explain your role, time commitment, length of involvement, and responsibilities.
- Question 2: How have your experiences affected your sense of who you are and what you hope to accomplish in college? There are no wrong answers.
- Question 3: Honors students make the most of available opportunities. Based on course availability at your school, how did you select the classes you took? Is there anything you want the admissions committee to know about your transcript?
Fall application deadlines
Application review
We evaluate applications across four main criteria:
- Challenge
- Depth
- Breadth
- Leadership potential
We seek applicants who took full advantage of the courses and opportunities available to them at their high school, in addition to demonstrating academic excellence, an interest in interdisciplinary connections, and a commitment to community.
Our individual and holistic review process considers responses to essay and short answer prompts, along with GPA, high school transcripts, and any ACT or SAT scores provided. No minimum GPA or test score is required for admission. Submitted test scores will be considered, but applicants will not be penalized for a lack of scores.
Admissions take place on a rolling basis, with initial review of applications in early October. Incoming first-year students should allow up to eight weeks for a decision.
International applicants
Students from outside the U.S. applying to KU as incoming first-year students should complete the general KU application along with their honors application by March 1 for fall admission. Students must also demonstrate English proficiency as defined by KU International Admissions. Students who are not yet proficient in English are invited to apply to the University Honors Program after successfully completing their Level 5 coursework in the Applied English Center. (Current international KU students: Please refer to the section above for current KU students.)