The Honors College is an inclusive community at Oregon’s leading public research university. HC students make up 6–7% of OSU undergraduates across Corvallis, OSU-Cascades and Ecampus, all pursuing an Honors Baccalaureate degree in their chosen major. The HC offers the benefits of engaging classes, a collaborative learning community, personal advising and unique access to research, creative and scholarly opportunities that culminate in the honors thesis. While admission to the Honors College is competitive, the selection process is holistic. We value a broad definition of achievement, which considers not only GPA, but also coursework, extracurricular activities and service to community, and responses to the Honors College short-answer questions about your interests, experiences, resilience and goals.
To apply, students must complete the appropriate HC application.
Students Applying to OSU
Students applying to Oregon State University can apply to the Honors College by filling out the HC section of the OSU application or by filling out the Honors College application in Beaver Basecamp after they have applied to OSU.
Corvallis Campus
The Honors College application deadlines for each term match the OSU application deadlines for Corvallis campus applicants.
If you are an international student applying to OSU through the Office of International Admissions, please see the section below for International Students for more information.
OSU-Cascades Campus
The Honors College application deadlines for each term match the OSU-Cascades application deadlines.
If you are an international student applying to OSU through the Office of International Admissions, please see the section below for International Students for more information.
Ecampus
The Honors College application deadlines for each term match the Ecampus application deadlines.
If you are an international student applying to OSU through the Office of International Admissions, please see the section below for International Students for more information.
International Students (Corvallis, OSU-Cascades, & Ecampus)
International students who meet HC application eligibility will be invited to apply to the Honors College when they are offered admission to Oregon State University by the Office of International Admissions. Applications may be submitted until 4 weeks prior to their first term at OSU. The link to the application will be available in the email students receive inviting them to apply to the Honors College.
Current OSU Students
Students who are already attending Oregon State and have completed at least one term of classes at Oregon State University as an undergraduate degree-seeking student can apply to the HC by filling out the Honors College current OSU student application.
Applications may be submitted at any time and will be considered for entry into the Honors College for the upcoming term. Application review may take up to 1-4 weeks and HC admission decisions are sent via email to the applicant's OSU email address.
*Note: Applications submitted within a week of the beginning of a term may need to be considered for the term after. We'll do our best to review applications quickly, but application submissions right before a term begins may require your first term in the HC (if admitted) to be pushed out to the following term.
If you are an incoming first-year or transfer student who will be attending Oregon State in an upcoming term and you did not apply to the Honors College before your appropriate deadline, you can fill out this application after you have completed at least one term at Oregon State University as an undergraduate student.
Important Information
First-year students who are entering from high school (applying to the HC at the same time as they apply to Oregon State)
- 3.75 cumulative unweighted high school GPA. Students who don't meet the GPA minimum can qualify with a test score of 1300 SAT or 27 ACT.
Students transferring to OSU from another college or university (applying to the HC at the same time as they apply to Oregon State)
- 3.5 Cumulative transfer GPA
Current OSU students (students who have completed at least one term of classes at Oregon State as an undergraduate student)
- 3.5 Cumulative Oregon State GPA
The Honors College allows applications from students who do not meet one of the HC minimum criteria. If you have been impacted by circumstances that affected your ability to meet the HC GPA or test score minimum and wish to apply, you should complete all sections of the Honors College application and ensure that you have provided relevant information in your responses. All applications will be reviewed holistically and fully considered. Admission to Oregon State is test-optional for first-year students.
The Honors College application has three short-answer questions (100 word responses for each) that ask about your interests, experiences, resilience and goals.
While considering your application for HC admission, the Honors College admissions committee will review your responses to the HC short-answer questions, your OSU/Common App essay response, your activities and interests, your GPA and courses taken on your transcript, your test scores (optional), and all other responses submitted as part of your OSU application.
The Honors College does not accept letters of recommendation.
If you have questions about the HC application, please contact Honors College Admissions at [email protected] or 541-737-6400
Though similar, the selection process for HC admission is separate from admission to the university. While many applicants meet the minimum criteria for application consideration, not all applicants will be offered admission.
Selection criteria for an incoming first-year student is based on cumulative un-weighted high school GPA; the responses to the four Honors College short-answer questions about interests, experiences, resilience and goals; and the responses to the OSU essay question and/or personal statements. SAT or ACT scores (optional), the strength of courses taken in high school, as well as personal or academic attributes that will enrich the honors community are also considered.
For college transfers or current Oregon State students, selection criteria are based on the applicant's college GPA and the responses to the four Honors College short-answer questions about interests, experiences, resilience and goals. Personal or academic attributes that will enrich the honors community are also considered.
The Honors College allows applications from students who do not meet one of the HC minimum criteria. If you have been impacted by circumstances that affected your ability to meet the HC GPA or test score minimum and wish to apply, you should complete all sections of the Honors College application and ensure that you have provided relevant information in your responses. All applications will be reviewed holistically and fully considered. Admission to Oregon State is test-optional for first-year students.
First-Year Applicants
- HC admission decisions for early action (November) applicants for fall entry term are typically sent via email and posted in the applicant's Beaver Basecamp portal by December 31st.
- Regular decision HC admission decisions for priority deadline (February) applicants for fall entry term are typically sent via email and posted in the applicant's Beaver Basecamp portal by March 31st.
- HC admission decisions for HC applicants for other entry terms are typically sent via email and posted in the applicant's Beaver Basecamp portal within 4-6 weeks after the HC application is submitted.
Note: if you are a first-year student planning to attend Oregon State and have missed the deadlines to apply to the Honors College, you can apply to the HC after you complete one term at Oregon State University as an undergraduate student. Please see the section above for "Current Students" for more information.
Transfer Applicants
HC admission decisions for transfer applicants are posted in Beaver Basecamp and sent via email on a rolling basis, typically within 4-6 weeks after the HC application is submitted.
International Applicants
HC admission decisions for international applicants are sent via email, typically within 4-6 weeks after the HC application is submitted.
Current Oregon State Students (students who have completed at least one term of classes at Oregon State University as an undergraduate student)
Applications may be submitted at any time during the academic year. HC admission decisions for current OSU student applicant are sent via email. Timing may vary depending on when the application is submitted, but decisions are typically sent within 2-4 weeks after the HC application is submitted.
Honors College students are assessed Honors College differential tuition each term. The HC differential tuition enables the Honors College to provide small honors classes, academic advising, co-curricular activities and other core elements of the Honors College student experience.
The HC recognizes that the HC Differential Tuition associated with enrollment in the Honors College can present a financial challenge for some students. The Honors College offers a limited number of need-based scholarships, emergency grants and experiential learning awards to students each year to support full engagement with the HC experience.