Honors Program Applicants

The Honors Program is the most prestigious opportunity for academically gifted students at Marymount University. Established in 2003, Marymount’s Honors Program reflects the principles of the original liberal arts (artes liberales) developed at the Universities of Paris, Oxford, and Cambridge in the Middle Ages. All academic schools are represented within the program, and students from all majors are encouraged to apply. The Honors Program offers rigorous courses in a wide range of disciplines. The program is aimed at helping students cultivate their research and intellectual skills, including the ability to think critically and independently and to reason, write, and communicate their ideas clearly. The program creates a supportive intellectual community centered on its distinctive curriculum; trips to museums and historically significant locations in the Washington, DC, area; guest lectures on campus; and a summer study abroad program at the University of Oxford. See the Honors Program curriculum.

Honors students at Marymount receive scholarship support, one-on-one faculty instruction and mentorship, priority registration, formal recognition during graduation ceremonies, exclusive lounge facilities, and travel funds for academic conferences. Honors students choose officers to represent them in the Honors Program Organization and nominate faculty for the annual Honors Fellow.

Incoming first-year and sophomore students, as well as first-year and sophomore students transferring from other honors programs, may apply. Admission is competitive and limited to 20 new students each year. The following criteria are recommended for students who wish to apply to the program:

• minimum unweighted high school or college GPA of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale
• preferred composite (Math and Evidence-Based Reading and Writing) SAT score of 1200 on the old SAT (prior to 2016) or 1270 on the new SAT (post 2016) and/or composite (English, Reading, Math, and Science) ACT score of 26

Those seeking admission to the program must submit an Honors Program application, including an Honors essay and two faculty recommendations, one of which must directly speak to the student’s ability to succeed in the Honors Program, in addition to the general university admission application. Applicants must also participate in an interview with the Honors Program director or an Honors Committee member.

Honors applicants entering Marymount with college-level coursework may be eligible for credit. See Other Credit-Acquisition Opportunities for further information.

Additional criteria and application requirements can be found on the Honors Program website.