Honors programs are a terrific way for academically talented students to reap the benefits of a liberal arts education within the context of a large research institution.

To give you a better sense for how this can enrich your college experience, we’ve compiled a list of undergraduate honors programs from top public and private universities across the nation. We've included admission profiles where available, program benefits, whether an extra application is required and a link to each institution's offering for more details.

Click on Continue Reading to see our list of top undergraduate honors programs now.

Top Undergraduate Honors Programs

Many schools offer honors programs/colleges for their students to receive a specialized experience at their university. Honors colleges are a separate and unique college within a larger university whereas honors programs aren’t part of a particular college, rather they are programs you fulfill as you get your degree at another of the university’s colleges.

Either way, the honors experience typically encompasses smaller class sizes, senior instructors, priority registration, active mentorship and access to research opportunities. 

To create the list, we looked for popular and/or highly ranked research institutions across the nation and identified those offering honors programs for incoming freshmen. Both public and private universities were considered. We then compiled admissions profiles and determined which institutions require a separate application for honors program admission.

To give you a sense for the breadth of each program, we've highlighted benefits along five dimensions:

• Scholarship support
• Honors housing
• Honors classes and/or priority class registration
• Advising and mentorship
• Career and research opportunities

We've also included a link to each honors program website for more details.

Enjoy!

Authors

	Kyra Cui is a graduate from The Harker School's Class of 2025 and will be studying at and swimming for MIT this fall.
	Avery Jones is a graduate from The Harker School’s Class of 2025 who will be attending UC Berkeley in the fall. She will be majoring in chemical biology on a pre-vet track.
	Yifan Li is a graduate from The Harker School's Class of 2025 and will be attending Cornell University this fall.

Popular Undergraduate Honors Programs

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