New Student Eligibility
Calvin's Honors Program is open to students of all majors and class levels. Presently, incoming students are invited to participate in the Honors Program if they have an ACT composite score of 29 or higher (=SAT 1290+). Current students who have a GPA of at least 3.3 are also eligible for the program. No special application is required in these cases; the Director sends these students information about honors courses and invites them to participate.

Students who do not meet these criteria may still apply to the Director or the professor of any honors course for permission to participate (Application to Participate). When approached by such students, faculty members should take into account the students' academic record, evidence of strong motivation, and the specific demands of the course. The Director will screen initial class rosters for ineligible students and inform the faculty members; but the final decision whether to allow any student to remain in an honors class rests with each professor.

General Requirements

New Student Advising

Honors students are identified as such on their advising transcripts and their advisors must keep informed about the Honors Program and current course options for these students. However, even students who are eligible may sometimes be better served by a regular section of the course, and occasionally ineligible students may register for an honors class without permission. An early registration process for honors courses has been introduced to help resolve these problems.

Professors of honors courses should make their expectations very clear in the syllabus so that students know exactly what will be required of them. An early diagnostic writing assignment, oral report, or personal conference is helpful in identifying students who may have difficulty meeting the expectations of an honors class.

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