• Discover Nevada
• Admissions
• Academics
• Student Life
• Research
• Partnerships

Admissions to Honors

Come Be a Part of Something Exceptional

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 A.P., I.B. or Honors caliber courses and high tests scores. Successful applicants generally have unweighted GPAs of 3.65 or higher and ACT or SAT I* scores above 28 or 1220, 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

• Incoming First-Year Students
  • Minimum SAT I score of 1220 (Math & Critical Reading) or ACT score of 28
  • Ranking in the top ten percent of high school graduating class
  • Cumulative high school GPA of at least 3.65 on a 4.0 scale (unweighted)
  • Evidence of motivation and commitment to academic excellence
• Continuing University of Nevada, Reno Students
  • Cumulative GPA of 3.65 or higher from all previous institutions
  • Evidence of motivation and commitment to academic excellence
• Transfer Students
  • Cumulative GPA of 3.65 or higher from all previous 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. For approval, the courses must be compatible with the University of Nevada, Reno Honors Program and listed on the student's transcript.

Application Process

Applications must be made online and include the following:

• A 500-Word Essay (electronic submission only) - 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 - Letters of recommendation attesting to the student's academic eligibility should be requested from at least two professors or persons familiar with the student's recent academic work. It is recommended that the teachers chosen to write these evaluations are from competitive classes. Current UNR students and incoming transfer students are expected to request recommendations from college professors.

In addition to the online application, please forward copies of the following documents to the Honors Program:

• High School Transcripts - Incoming students should submit updated high school transcripts to the Honors Program in addition to the Admissions and Records Office at University of Nevada, Reno.
• Test scores - Incoming students should send a copy of all ACT and/or SAT scores to the Honors Program.
• College Transcripts - Transfer students should send copies of transcripts for all coursework completed at the college level to the Honors Program.

Deadlines

The application deadline for new, first-year students is February 1. The deadlines for current University of Nevada, Reno students and incoming transfer students are February 1 and November 1. Spring applicants are notified of acceptance by mid February and fall applicants are notified in early January.

Online Application

Once you have applied to the University, use the APPLY NOW! link to apply to the Honors Program. You will need to create an account first, then you will be able to access the Honors Program's application on the Application Menu.

Note: Please first apply to the University before applying to the Honors Program.