Admission to the Honors Program
The University of Nevada, Reno Honors Program is seeking the best students in any undergraduate discipline offered at the University on a selective basis. Although most students in the Program enter as first-year students, students who are already enrolled at the University or who are transferring to the University are eligible to apply to the Honors Program. Since the Program can take only the best-qualified applicants, evidence of academic strength is required. This may be demonstrated by both a strong academic record involving competitive classes of AP, IB or Honors caliber where approved, and high tests scores. Successful applicants generally have unweighted GPAs of 3.65 or higher and ACT or SAT I* scores above 28 or 1250, respectively. Transfer students usually have fewer than 45 college credits.
*Please note that although the Writing section is now required on the SAT II, the University of Nevada, Reno Honors Program does not consider the writing section subscore.
Eligibility
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Incoming First-Year Students
- a minimum SAT I score of 1200 (Math & Critical Reading) or ACT score of 28
- a ranking in the top ten percent of high school graduating class
- a cumulative high school grade point average of at least 3.65 on a 4.0 scale
- evidence of motivation and commitment to academic excellence
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Continuing University of Nevada, Reno Students
- a cumulative GPA of 3.65 or higher on a minimum of 30 credit hours earned at the University of Nevada, Reno
- evidence of motivation and commitment to academic excellence
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Transfer Students
- a cumulative GPA of 3.65 or higher from other institutions
- evidence of motivation and commitment to academic excellence
- up to 12 hours of Honors credit from other institutions may be accepted for Honors credit. The courses must be compatible with the University of Nevada, Reno Honors Program.
Application Process
Applications must be made online and include the following
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High School Transcripts – Incoming students should submit final high school transcripts to the Honors Program as well as Admissions and Records Office at University of Nevada, Reno.
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College Transcripts – Continuing University of Nevada, Reno students and transfer students should send copies of transcripts for all coursework completed at the college level to the Honors Program.
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A 500-Word Essay (submitted online)- Each applicant must write an essay on a topic of his/her choice that illustrates to the Honors Admissions Committee the student’s personal views on an issue, his/her priorities, or his/her goals. Applicants in the fine arts may submit an example of their work such as a video or photographs in lieu of an essay; such work must be submitted in the space provided for the essay. Submissions should be well written and proofread.
- Letters of Recommendation (submitted online)- Letters of recommendation attesting to the student's academic eligibility should be requested from two professors or persons familiar with the student's academic work. The applicant should deliver these forms to each teacher who should complete the form and send it directly to the Honors Program as soon as possible. It is recommended that the teachers chosen to write these evaluations are from competitive classes.
Deadlines
The deadlines for applications are February 1 and November 1 each year. Applicants are notified of acceptance by the end of April and by mid-January, respectively.
Online Application
The following instructions are for both incoming freshmen as well as transfer applicants.
If you have already applied to UNR online, you may use the same username and password that you already set up for that process. Please follow this link which will take you to the login page for online applications. Click the link titled "Apply to University of Nevada, Reno." On that page you will find a link to apply to the Honors Program.
If you have not applied to UNR online, you must first obtain a login and password. Honors Program applicants must first apply to the University of Nevada, to apply to the Honors Program. Please follow this link to set up an application account, and apply online.
