Honors College
20 Stopher Hall
Kent Campus
330-672-2312
honors@kent.edu
www.kent.edu/honors


Mission of the College

The mission of the Honors College is to provide an enriched educational experience for academically motivated and talented students at Kent State University. Both in and out of the classroom, the college's learning environment provides students with opportunities to interact and share ideas with other bright, motivated students and mentoring professors.

Founded in 1933, the Honors College is at the center of Kent State University’s tradition of providing special attention to undergraduates with outstanding intellectual and creative ability. Within the framework of the larger university, with its diverse academic programs and excellent research and library facilities, the Honors College offers students enriched and challenging courses and programs, opportunities for close relationships with their peers and faculty, and careful advising to meet their interests and goals.

Scholarships

All new freshman who are admitted to the Honors College will automatically be considered for an Honors College scholarship award. Honors College scholarships are renewable for maximum eight semesters of undergraduate work, provided students remain in good standing with the Honors College. These scholarships are in addition to university awards.

The Honors Concept

The Honors College is guided by two basic principles:

  • The first is a responsibility to provide academic work that offers intellectual challenge to the best students in the university and demands of them the best effort of which they are capable. To this end, courses are designed to stretch the mind, sharpen skills and encourage high standards of performance.
  • The second principle is a belief that, regardless of degree program, students should be liberally educated. That is, they should understand and appreciate the language, literature and history of our culture; the social, political and economic structure of our society; the creative achievements that enrich our lives; and the basic assumptions and substance of the natural sciences. Honors students are, therefore, encouraged to select courses that provide an understanding of the arts, humanities and sciences.

Honors Advising

Students meet with their Honors College advisors at least once per semester. During advising meetings, students are encouraged to develop long-range plans to organize their academic work and co-curricular experiences in accordance with their interests and career aspirations.

Community

The Stopher-Johnson complex is located at the center of campus. Honors student living there have the best of worlds - a nurturing and stimulating experience with other Honors students as well as convenient access to the surrounding Kent State campus community.
The Honors complex includes the three-story Johnson and Stopher Residence Halls, a library/computer room, a reception lobby and advising offices. Students live just steps from the Honors College dean and its academic advisors.
Student involvement in the affairs of the college is a tradition. For example, Honors students are eligible to serve on the Honors College Policy Council (HOCOPOCO).

Admission Requirements

The Honors College recruits incoming students who demonstrate the potential for superior academic and creative ability at Kent State University. Admission to the Honors College for new freshmen is by invitation only. In addition to the Kent State undergraduate admission application, admission is based on holistic review of many variables, including, but not limited to:  high school performance (curriculum, grade point average), essay, extra-curricular activities, work experiences.  Standardized tests are considered but not required for admission.