Students should have a minimum of a 3.6 GPA on a 4.0 scale at USC and on all college work attempted. If you earned credits through dual enrollment at a USC system campus, they would apply to your GPA. Students with a 4.0 GPA are not guaranteed acceptance.

The Honors College is looking not only at an applicant’s GPA, but also at the courses the student has taken. Students who have taken more demanding courses, and who are taking more advanced courses (because they have placed out of introductory courses, for instance), are making a stronger case that they would be better served by being in the Honors College. Students who are doing well in introductory courses with the usual range of difficulty may be placed appropriately already.

Students in the Honors College are required to complete a robust curriculum of 44 credit hours including a senior thesis.

Therefore, students who have plans to graduate early, be abroad for an entire year, or have other rigorous obligations in their field of study may not be best served by the addition of Honors requirements. For example, students majoring in nursing or pharmaceutical sciences are ineligible to apply for transfer admission into the Honors College due to their program’s established requirements.

The Honors College is looking for students who are especially eager to be challenged, who have wide-ranging and/or deep academic interests and who will pair well with highly interactive classroom environments. Not every student will benefit from being in such an environment or find it comfortable. The Honors College wants to be confident that the student realistically understands, and is prepared for, the rigor, engagement and intensity of the Honors experience.

Accepted students must accept or decline the offer in a timely manner.

If accepted, students will be given instructions to complete the transfer process for entry into the Honors College the following fall semester. Students will also be connected with an advisor specializing in Honors curriculum to make schedule adjustments. Generally, this includes adding one to three Honors classes.

Basic demographic and academic information: Be prepared to share the number of credits you have earned and to upload a current, unofficial transcript.

Writing prompts: The application will consist of 3 - 5 short responses and 1 - 2 longer essays that deal with students’ intellectual curiosity and vigor, accomplishments and aptitude for leadership, and reasons for wanting to join the Honors College.

Letters of recommendation: Two detailed recommendations from enthusiastic faculty in academic subjects must be submitted in addition to the application. Students will be asked to submit the name and contact information of each recommender in their application. Letters should not be submitted by the student. Recommenders will not receive communication from the Honors College. It is the student’s responsibility to provide these guidelines to recommenders.

Notes for recommenders:

• • Submit the recommendation letter in PDF format to recommendations@schc.sc.edu.
  • Address the letter to the Transfer Review Committee.
  • Letters are due to the email provided by April 13th at 11:59 p.m.

All applications are read by the transfer review committee, a group composed of Honors College faculty, staff and leadership. All decisions are final. The committee is unable to provide details on decisions for individual applications.