Joining Honors

Eligibility for the Honors College

Students can apply to become a member of the Honors College through any of these three pathways. There is no cost to apply or be a member of the Honors College.
  1. Outstanding high school students will be invited to apply to the Honors College if they have a 3.7 weighted GPA or higher. Students with a 3.5 unweighted GPA and other evidence of academic success (standardized test scores or strong grades in college-level coursework) may request to apply. If you believe that should have received an invitation, please contact honors@radford.edu.
  2. Radford University freshmen who earn a 3.5 or better during the first fall semester will receive an invitation to apply over winter break. After freshman year, students with a 3.5 or better can email honors@radford.edu to request permission to apply.
  3. Transfer students with a 3.5 GPA may apply to join the Honors College once admitted to the university. If you are interested, please contact the Honors College office (honors@radford.edu). 

 

Profile of Typical Honors Freshmen

Because the Honors College is space-limited, many students who meet the minimum critera for honors cannot be offered an opening. The most recent first-year class had weighted high school GPAs of 3.97 (25th percentile) to 4.24 (75th percentile). Our goal is to recruit students who will be academic successful, but are also intellectually curious and community focused.

Application Process

High school seniors who meet the minimum eligibility criteria should receive an "invitation to apply" email within a month after admission to the university. This letter includes a link to the application portal and information about application deadlines. Honors admissions decisions will be sent ~2 weeks after each deadline.

New Radford freshmen who earn a 3.5 GPA during their first fall semester should receive an "invitation to apply" email over winter break. This email includes the web address for the application portal. The deadline for these applications is in early January.

If you believe that you are eligible to apply, but did not receive an invitation, please contact our office (honors@radford.edu) for information about the application portal.