Honors College: Common Questions
Honors students dig deeper and explore further into courses to expand their knowledge of a subject.
But we know you will have questions about the program. Below are some of the most common questions, but feel free to reach out if you have a question about a topic not addressed below.
The typical student will have a minimum ACT score of 28 or a minimum 1310 on the SAT, have a 3.85 GPA and be in the top 10 percent of his or her class. However, we evaluate all applications holistically, so students who have lower scores but demonstrate strong academic performance (AP/IB classes and/or honors classes and/or successful dual enrollment), supplemented by strong leadership and community engagement, will also receive serious consideration.
4-year students Honors Students will receive:
- Mentoring for post-graduation decisions (for grad/professional schools, for employment, for national competitive scholarships)
- Recommendations from the Honors College for undergraduate research positions, internships, studying abroad and/or the Presidential Ambassador Council
- Financial support for presentations at off-campus conferences
- Free and discounted admission to cultural events in Nashville
- Leadership experience, including an honors student advisory council
- Early registration
- Early move in to dorms
- Greater accessibility to mentoring relationships with faculty
- Competitive edge in applications to graduate school, professional school and jobs
If you would like to be considered for honors, simply check the box on Lipscomb application for admission. If you have already submitted your application and would now like to be considered for honors, contact your admissions counselor and she or he can make that change for you.
Admission to The Honors College is competitive. Those seeking admission to the college must complete an application process. Incoming students must have a minimum ACT composite of 28 (SAT of 1300).
To remain an Honors Scholar, students must maintain a 3.5 GPA after their freshman year.
Honors courses are not the college equivalent of AP courses. You will not be asked to do two to three times as much work as students in non-honors courses. Nor will the classes move at an accelerated pace, covering twice as much material. Instead, honors courses are designed to probe deeper into the topics in the course, to let you discover the material rather than have it all presented to you in lecture format, and to let you explore independently some of the topics which are of particular interest to you.
You should not have to work harder in an honors class than other students do in non-honors courses. If they are spending four hours a week reading, studying and writing for a course, you should expect to spend about the same amount of time in an honors course. You will, in most cases, be reading different textbooks and doing different assignments than students in non-honors courses. Our aim, though, is to make the work manageable, allowing you to have plenty of time to work on your other courses and have a life outside of the classroom.
Studies in the journals of the National Collegiate Honors Council report that honors students have a better GPA in honors courses than in non-honors courses. The reason is that honors students tend to lose interest in non-honors courses and/or assume that the material is so easy for them that they become lackadaisical in studying and keeping up with the material. Consequently, they may not do as well on homework assignments or examinations. The intellectual stimulation of honors classes tends to keep honors students more consistently prepared throughout the semester.
Yes! Any student who has a 3.4 or higher GPA after the first semester and 3.5 or higher after the freshman year may apply to be admitted to the college provided space is available.
Transfer students who have participated in an Honors College or Honors Program at their previous institution may also apply to be admitted.
Those entering the college after the first semester will need to meet with the director to determine how they will satisfy the requirements for graduation.
No. You can opt to take your general education courses as honors courses and then drop out of the program permanently or temporarily.
The Senior Project applies ONLY to those who wish to become an Honors College Fellow. Honors College Scholars are NOT required to complete this project. The Senior Project reflects your ability to design, manage, and complete at a high level a significant research project and/or a significant service project. You can opt for any one of several paths to completing it: a stand-alone project in honors, doing an honors contract in the major course requiring a senior thesis, contracting for SALT Scholar or LIGHT Scholar projects, or having an article published in a refereed academic journal.