High school seniors with a grade point average of 3.7 or higher and an SAT score (math and verbal) of at least 1200 (including a minimum verbal score of 600) will be considered for admission to the Honors Institute. Students admitted to the Honors Institute are generally awarded an Honors Fellowship. Recipients of this prestigious award receive significant financial assistance annually.
In order to apply for admission to the Honors Institute and for an Honors Fellowship, please go to the Honors Fellowship Application. All applications for the Honors Institute and Honors Fellowship are due by January 17th.
As part of the application process, students will need to take part in a Scholarship Interview. Ordinarily, the Scholarship Interview takes place during one of our Scholarship Weekends. Please note that one of these weekends takes place in November and is for Early Scholarship Decision applicants. If a student is unable to attend one of our Scholarship Weekends, he or she should contact the Honors Institute Director prior to January 31st in order to arrange for a scholarship interview on another occasion.
The Honors Fellowship is a four-year award. Renewal for each academic year is contingent upon a student’s maintaining a 3.4 grade point average and his/her continued participation in the Honors Institute by taking Honors courses and by taking part in required Honors Institute activities (attendance at occasional dinners, Honors Paper presentations, lectures by visiting professors, etc.).
Honors Fellowship recipients are also awarded a $3500 stipend to help defray expenses for a month’s study abroad program under the auspices of Belmont Abbey College in the summer between the junior and senior years.
At the end of the sophomore year, Honors Institute students are invited to take part in a 3-night, 2-day academic retreat on Hilton Head Island in South Carolina.
Also important and beneficial for Honors Institute students are periodic opportunities to hear talks by guest lecturers from other colleges or universities. During the course of each academic year, Honors Institute students also enjoy occasional dinners with faculty, administrators, and members of the monastic community.