ABOUT THE HONORS PROGRAM
For more than 50 years, the Carson-Newman Honors Program has provided academic challenges and opportunities for intellectually gifted and curious students through team-taught interdisciplinary classes and extra-curricular events. Our community of learners is dedicated to both a rigorous pursuit of truth and the heartfelt support of one another. Honors Program classes emphasize critical thinking and writing skills to help broaden and deepen the students’ understanding of humanity and the universe, while preparing them for a lifetime of service and leadership. The program culminates with the Senior Thesis, completed by working closely with a distinguished faculty member in the student’s major field.
The Honors program is a unique opportunity for gifted students to enhance their entire undergraduate experience at Carson-Newman. As an honors student, you will:
- Participate in stimulating classroom discussions with other exceptional learners
- Sharpen your research skills
- Improve your ability to reason and analyze
- Increase your effectiveness as a writer
- Boost your confidence in evaluating your own academic strengths and weaknesses
- Travel to regional cultural events
Team-taught interdisciplinary classes are permeated with penetrating questions and animated discussions. You’ll become a part of a gifted community of learners dedicated to a rigorous pursuit of the ideals expressed on Carson-Newman’s seal: Truth, Beauty and Goodness. If all of this sounds good to you, please read more about applying to the Honors Program.
Honors Program Entrance Requirements
- 3.65 or higher GPA requirement, and
- 28 or higher composite ACT or 1310 or higher SAT (critical reading & math sections) or 86 or higher CLT
Students meeting these requirements will receive an invitation to our Honors Weekend Scholarship competition, which will take place the first weekend in February. Based on scores and competition results, offers to enroll in the Honors Program will be made, with several top finishers being offered the Honors Premier scholarship of full tuition at Carson-Newman University.
Honors Weekend
Students compete for scholarship awards given in addition to regular C-N merit awards. Several top finishers will be awarded the prestigious Honors Premier scholarship–a full tuition honors scholarship. The decisions about scholarship awards given through Honors Weekend are based on each student’s standardized test scores, high school GPA, extracurricular involvement, essay, and personal interviews. If you meet the GPA and ACT/SAT requirements, you will be invited to attend the Honors Scholarship Competition beginning in late December.
Honors Weekend gives students and their parents the best possible opportunity to experience Carson-Newman. Each participant has the opportunity to talk individually with a current faculty member and an alumnus. Participants spend the night with a current honors student and attend a mixer with current C-N students at the Honors House. The President, Provost, and top administrators attend a dinner with the participants and their parents, and there are special question and answer sessions for parents dealing with the admissions, financial aid, the Honors Program, and the scholarship competition.
