Who May Apply?
For the academic years 2009-10, the Cleveland State University Honors Program will admit up to 50 students with lower division status, and approximately 25 students with upper division standing each year.

Scholarship Opportunities:
Renewable scholarships covering full tuition, books and fees will be offered to first-year and junior-entry university honors students.

Lower Division Students:
Lower division applicants are generally graduating high school seniors. Two or three transfer students are also admitted to the lower division each year. For lower division students, the criteria for admission include:

The admissions criteria for the class enrolling for Fall 2009 is:

• 30 ACT composite score or above OR
• 1300 or higher total SAT score (old test) 1950 or higher total
  -- SAT score (new test) OR
• Top 10 percent of high school class ranking
• Admission to Cleveland State University
• Submission of a written autobiographical essay

Students are expected to complete a college preparatory curriculum in high school. High schools vary in the advanced courses they offer. Honors applicants are expected to complete the most rigorous curriculum available at their high school. Applicants who participate in the Post-Secondary Educational Opportunity Program are expected to have completed the standard high school college preparatory curriculum in addition to their college work.

Preferred applicants will have 4 years of high school English, 4 years of high school mathematics including pre-calculus and in some cases calculus, at least three years of natural science (usually biology, physics and chemistry), at least three years of social science courses, three or more years of a foreign language, with additional classes in the visual or performing arts. There will be students admitted who have not met all of these criteria; however, it should be noted that a student without high school physics, for example, is generally not prepared for a college level course in the subject. Preference in admission to the Honors Program will be given to students whose high school transcript indicates they are prepared for a wide variety of possible college majors.

Lower Division Program:
All honors students who begin as entering first-year students will be required to take at least 20 credit hours of lower-division honors courses (i.e., 4 four-credit courses and 4 one-credit honors colloquia series), selected from a broad spectrum of disciplines. Students will register for courses in accord with an individual honors plan approved by their academic advisor and the Honors Program Director.

Honors courses are designed to be interdisciplinary and participatory. As an example, an honors course for fall, 2004 to be offered again in fall, 2006 —the History of Cleveland, the last fifty years—explores the city’s past fifty years with the leaders and participants who experienced the events first-hand. These individuals will join the class to discuss their roles with you, and you will have the opportunity to become an active participant in the discussions rather than be just a listener. You will find out what options city leaders had, and why they chose certain paths and rejected others. In addition, the course will use the city’s myriad available resources to inform your understanding of the key crises and opportunities the city faced, how it dealt with them, and how the future can benefit from your analysis and conclusions.

Upper Division Students :
Students applying to the Honors Program for admission to the upper division must satisfy the following minimum criteria:

• 3.5 GPA or higher on college courses OR
• 27 ACT composite score or above OR
• 1220 or higher SAT total score (old test) 1830 or higher total
  -- SAT score (new test) OR
• Admission to Cleveland State University
• Junior level standing by Fall of entry into program
  -- (60 semester credit hours completed)
• Submission of a written autobiographical essay
• Three letters of academic reference

Preferred applicants will be on track to graduate in two years (for those whose major is in a four year program). College transcripts will reflect a rigorous course of study both in the students preferred major and in his or her choices for general education and elective courses. Students should have made good progress toward completion of general education course requirements and lower division prerequisites for courses in the major.

The Honors Program is both a scholarship program and an academic program. Students who are not prepared to complete the academic requirements for Honors in their major are not eligible to participate in the Program or to receive an Honors Scholarship. The upper division honors program typically requires three to four semesters to complete. To complete the admission process, successful applicants must work with their designated honors faculty advisor to complete an Honors Academic Plan that will result in their graduation in their chosen major with honors. Additional information about honors requirements for most majors is available on the upper division tab at the top of this page. For majors not listed, applicants should contact the Honors Program office.

Upper Division Program:
The honors experience for upper division honors students will be tailored to the requirements of each student’s chosen major(s) and specific goals. Junior and senior honors students’ courses will be selected through consultation with faculty members in their major(s).

Upper division honors students will have the opportunity to do additional honors work under faculty supervision in established courses, enroll in graduate courses, participate in a faculty member’s research project or laboratory, do an independent research project, a service learning project, and/or an internship, job, or engage in a co-op experience. In some departments, students will also be encouraged to attend professional meetings. Each semester there will be regular honors colloquia that will cover topics spanning the academic disciplines.

Upper division students will also participate in the Universal Honors experience each semester.

Funding:
Funding for Honors Scholarships comes from a variety of sources. To allow us to fund as many students as possible, we require that all students file a FAFSA.

Application Deadlines:
The Honors Program Admissions Committee will give priority consideration to applicants based on academic excellence.

Applicants entering as lower division students are encouraged to apply by January 15th. The Honors Program Admissions Committee has reserved a small amount of spaces for exceptionally well-qualified students applying after January 15.

Applicants entering as upper division students are encouraged to apply by February 28th. Applicants who apply later will be considered based on academic excellence and space availability.

Cleveland State Application:
To be accepted into the Honors Program you must also apply for admission to Cleveland State University and be accepted. To allow us to fund as many students as possible, we require that all students file a FASFA form.

Honors Program Application:
Application to the Honors Program is separate from application to Cleveland State University. To apply to the Honors Program simply download the Honors application form. You will need Adobe Reader 4.0 or higher, which is available here. Fill out the application form and return it along with your essay and reference letters (if appropriate) to:

Honors Program
Cleveland State University
2121 Euclid Avenue, MC 412
Cleveland, OH 44115-2214
or
email to: honors.program@csuohio.edu
Fax number: 216-687-5552
Phone number: 216-687-5559