Apply to UNC Honors Program!

High School Seniors and New UNC First Year Applicants

Incoming first year students are urged to apply to join the Honors Program at the same time as they are applying to admission to UNC, but students may apply after they are also students at UNC . Students entering UNC directly from High School, regardless of the number of college credit hours already earned, should begin their first semester at UNC in the First Year Honors Program.

Transfer Students and Current UNC Student Applicants

Transfer and current UNC students may also apply for the University Honors Program. Transfer students should apply through their Admissions portal after applying to UNC. Current UNC students should go to this page to find the Current UNC Student Honors Application information.

Qualifying Criteria

Successful applicants must demonstrate intellectual curiosity, a willingness to ask challenging questions, an interest in exploring their world, and/or a desire to create new ways of doing things.  No specific minimum standardized test scores nor minimum GPA is required. Students often demonstrate their academic potential through achievement in high school, but that is not the only way to demonstrate potential, and we understand that there may be many extenuating circumstances that impact a student's GPA. We do not require standardized test scores, and UNC is test-optional for admissions.

Deadlines

The Honors Application has a rolling deadline that follows this timeline.

The Application

We recommend that you draft your answers to the questions in a separate document, and then copy and paste the answers into the application answer blocks. 

Questions for First Year/First Time College Students for FALL 2025 or Spring 2026

The Honors application requires you to answer a few short answer questions. You are encouraged to draft your responses in a separate document and then copy and paste your response into the application. You must use your own words and may not use A.I. generated text as your response. We want to hear your voice and read your story. The responses are not evaluated on grammar. You may use a spell checker.  

Question 1)

UNC’s Honors Program fosters a diverse and inclusive community of intellectually curious student scholars.  We seek students who want to engage deeply in their learning, not simply for the sake of achieving good grades, but for the intrinsic reward of discovering more about the world around them.  The Honors Program accepts students who tend to ask complex questions and challenge themselves to seek solutions where none seem to exist. The Honors Program values creativity and originality as well as hard work, motivation and critical thinking.

Please tell us about one area of interest that you are passionate about and would like to explore or engage with further.   Your chosen area of interest can be from any domain: academic, artistic, cultural, scientific, athletic or any other area. Please showcase your curiosity and your engagement with the world through your response. (Responses should be 200-400 words).

Question 2)

By joining the University Honors Program, you will become a member of our community of scholars, who all have different backgrounds, experiences, and stories. Please tell us what aspects from your background, experience, and story will enrich our University Honors Program community. (Responses should be 100-300 words).

Incoming First Year & Transfer Students: 
Apply to UNC First, Then Apply to Honors using your
UNC Admitted Student Portal 

If you can't find the Application in your UNC Admitted Student Portal,
please email us at honors@mikeshiner.com.

Questions for Current UNC Students

Question 1)

Discuss one issue, problem, concern or research question that you would be interested exploring in more depth? Or discuss one creative project that you would like to endeavor to create. Why have you chosen this issue or creative project? In what ways would you be interested in exploring the issue/would you pursue this project? Do not use AI generated text as your response, we want to hear YOUR voice. (500 words or less)

Question 2)

What are your future educational, graduate school and/or professional goals?  How does the Honors Program fit into your plans? (200 words or less)

Current UNC Students:
Apply via our Qualtrics Current Student Application