Application for Admission | Honors College

Apply

Openhouse

The deadline for applying to the Honors College for the 2023-2024 cohort is now past. We will open applications for new students for the 2024-2025 cohort in October 2023.

Process

Any undergraduate student who is admitted as a first-year student (freshman) who meets the minimum admissions criteria, as well as undergraduate transfer students and current Chicago State undergraduate students who meet the minimum admissions criteria, are invited to apply to the Honors College. We want to make sure that all entering undergraduate students of extraordinary academic promise or an exceptional high school background with high academic motivations have the chance to participate in the Honors College. Students in all undergraduate degree-granting majors and professional programs, as well as undeclared majors, are eligible to apply.

Students can apply to the Honors College by submitting the following items directly to the Honors College:

Copies of all high school transcripts OR all transfer and/or CSU transcripts (as applicable)
Evidence of school and/or community service
A 500 word essay/personal statement of interest
Two letters of recommendation from individuals unrelated to you

Criteria

All applicants to Chicago State's Honors College must meet the following minimum admissions criteria:

Be an admitted undergraduate student of Chicago State University (first Bachelor's degree students only)
Entering first-year students (freshmen) must have a cumulative high school GPA of 3.5 or higher
New undergraduate transfer or current CSU undergraduate students with at least 12 credit hours of college-level coursework must have a minimum 3.35 cumulative college GPA (at CSU or an accredited transfer institution).

Admission to the Honors College is based upon a complete review of all application materials, including high school or college transcripts, evidence of school and/or community service, the student's personal statement, and letters of recommendation. In addition, applicants to the Honors College should also submit a complete financial aid application to the Chicago State Office of Financial Aid, including a completed FAFSA, in order to be considered for Honors College scholarship support.

Please note that the Honors College offers an enriched general education curriculum, designed for students to take primarily in their first and second years. Consequently, the Honors College strongly encourages students to apply if they have completed less than 60 credit hours of college-level coursework and still need to complete a significant portion of their general education requirements.

Honors College staff will notify students of their acceptance to the Honors College only after a full evaluation of all required application materials. All admissions and financial aid decisions will be announced in writing and will be final. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact the Honors College Office at (773) 995-4446.

Personal Statement

As part of the Honors College application process, you must complete a personal statement of approximately 500 words. You should explain any significant reason and/or personal experiences that prepared you for the Chicago State University Honors College. You can also include significant past accomplishments and important educational goals and career plans you would like to achieve. Your personal statement should also illustrate your writing and organizational skills as well as your estimation of your potential for intellectual and personal growth. Your personal statement should be sent as an email attachment to Dean Steve Rowe (srowe21@csu.edu) and Ms. Toni McCoy-Smith (tmccoy@csu.edu).

Letters of Recommendation

Your Honors College Application should include at least two letters of recommendation from those unrelated individuals who can speak to your community involvement, intellectual abilities, and leadership potential. Letters should not come from friends or family members, but from teachers, mentors, or other leaders in the community who know you well. All first-year students (freshmen) are strongly encouraged to have at least one letter from a high school teacher. All new transfer and current CSU students are strongly encouraged to have at least one letter from a college professor. Your letters of recommendation should be sent as email attachments to Dean Steve Rowe (srowe21@csu.edu) and Ms. Toni McCoy-Smith (tmccoy@csu.edu), and all letters should be signed by the person writing the letter.

Application Step 1: Your Information

If you see this don't fill out this input box.

Your Information

*First Name

*Last name

*Email

*Address

*City

*State

*Zipcode

Address if International

*Cell Number

Alternate Number

School History

Current CSU student

YesNo

If yes, when did you enter CSU

CSU GPA

If no, you will enter CSU as

First-time student (freshman)Transfer studentN/A

What term will you enter CSU

Major

High School

High School GPA

Former College/University

Former College GPA

Service activities or organizations you participate in

List any scholarships you are already receiving or plan to receive

Application Step 2: Additional Documents

After you submit this form, you should receive an email with a reminder about the additional documents you need to submit to complete your Honors College Application (e.g. transcripts, personal statement, letters of recommendation). All of these documents should be sent as email attachments to Dean Steve Rowe (srowe21@csu.edu) and Ms. Toni McCoy-Smith (tmccoy@csu.edu). Please contact us if you have any questions.