Incoming First-Year Student Admissions

The Honors College brings together curious students from all majors who want to explore big ideas, connect with other engaged students, and challenge themselves to grow. If your unweighted high school GPA is 3.5 or higher, we invite you to apply.

How to Apply

Apply to App State through the Common App or NC College Connect
- Aim to submit your Common App or claim your spot through NC College Connect by the November 1 priority deadline.
Complete your Honors Application Materials
- Complete your Honors Essay in the Special Programs tab of the MyMountaineer portal (available for all students with an unweighted GPA of 3.5 or higher). Alternatively, use this direct Honors Essay link.
- Share your full story. If you've submitted a Common App, we'll get to know you through those materials. If you claimed your spot through NC College Connect, you can choose to additionally submit a Common App or complete additional profile forms in your MyMountaineer Portal. Students needing to complete these forms will be prompted to do so after submitting their Honors essay.
Submit by November 15
- Submit your Honors College essay and any required supplemental forms by November 15 to apply to the Honors College and the Chancellor’s Scholarship.

App State admissions decisions are typically released 2–4 weeks after you apply. Honors College decisions will be sent by January 25. Students invited to join the incoming Honors class have until March 25 to confirm their spot, with extensions available through May 1.

Application Advice

Our admissions process is holistic. Use your application materials and Honors essay to tell your story. Share specific examples that highlight your goals, values, and potential. We’re not looking for perfection. We want to see your drive to discover, create, learn, and grow together. Here are the four areas we focus on, and how you can help us see your strengths:

Intellectual Engagement & Academic Exploration

We’re interested in how you approach learning. Help us understand what sparks your curiosity, how you think through complex ideas, and where you’ve pushed your thinking.

Share what excites you intellectually, inside or outside the classroom
Let us know about challenging courses, independent work, or creative projects
Use your activities list to show academic curiosity and initiative

Perspective-Taking & Collaboration

We’re looking for students who engage across differences, listen actively, and contribute to a collaborative learning environment.

Talk about teamwork, volunteering, or group activities you’ve contributed to and grown from
Reflect on how you've engaged with and learned from people with different viewpoints and experiences

Holistic Development & Initiative

We want to see how you’ve grown—academically, personally, or otherwise—and how you take initiative in shaping your experiences and learning.

Reflect on experiences that shaped your values, creativity, or self-awareness
Use your activities list to show us how you’ve taken initiative, whether through leadership, service, or self-directed projects

Contribution to the Honors College

We’re interested in what draws you to this community—what you hope to bring to Honors, and what you’re excited to discover, create, and learn here.

Share your excitement about the Honors community
Be specific about how you’d like to get involved

Additional Scholarship and Funding Opportunities

In addition to the Chancellor’s Scholarship, incoming Honors College students may also be considered for the Whitney Hunter Scholarship, which honors former Honors College student and Chancellor's Scholar Whitney Hunter. Honors students can also receive funding for research, creative projects, travel, and community-engaged work.