Navigating the University of Michigan Honors Program: A Comprehensive Guide
The University of Michigan's Honors Program, specifically within the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA), offers academically ambitious students an enriched and challenging undergraduate experience. It is important to remember that the LSA Honors Program is a program within LSA, not a separate college. Therefore, Honors students are subject to the same policies and standards as all other LSA students. This article elucidates the program's structure, requirements, application process, and unique opportunities.
Honors Program Structure: Lower-Division and Upper-Division
The Honors Program is structured into two divisions: lower-division and upper-division.
Lower-Division: Students entering Honors directly from high school begin in the lower-division program. The minimum requirements for the lower-division Honors Program are the requirements of the Junior Honors Award (to be completed by the end of the second semester of the third year).
Upper-Division: Typically, Honors students transition to the upper-division during their sophomore or early junior year by declaring an Honors major or undertaking a HELA (Honors Experiential Learning Activity) project. The upper-division, spanning the student's final two years, culminates in a senior thesis or a HELA project.
The Three Pillars of the Honors Program
The Honors Program is built upon three foundational pillars: academics, community, and advising.
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Academics: In addition to the standard academic offerings of LSA, Honors students can enroll in Honors Core Courses, Honors sections, and pursue Honors conversions to enhance their learning experience.
Community: The program fosters a strong sense of community through Honors housing, where students live alongside their peers, and various co-curricular activities. Students are able to build community by living in Honors housing with other Honors students and participating in various co-curricular activities.
Advising: Students can visit our walk-in peer advising hours in the Fall or Winter terms. Our Peer Advisors are always available to answer your questions about the Honors program! Feel free to visit them anytime Monday through Friday.
Applying to the Honors Program
The Honors Program application process is straightforward.
Eligibility: You must be admitted to the College of Literature, Science and the Arts (LSA) prior to applying to the Honors Program. The Honors Program is available to all LSA students.
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Timing: We encourage you to apply as soon as you are admitted to LSA, as we are a space-limited program. We strongly urge you to apply to Honors even before you know that you are going to come to U-M.
Dual Degrees: Yes! Several special degree programs are offered by the joint cooperation of LSA and other colleges or schools within the University.
Application Review: Due to our compliance with FERPA regulations, Honors cannot notify parents or discuss a student’s application decision without the explicit consent of that student. Furthermore, we do not release admissions decisions early.
Getting to Know the Honors Program
Several opportunities exist to learn more about the Honors Program before and after applying.
Campus Days: Yes! Honors participates in every Campus Day date and you can talk with one of our admissions staff members and some current Honors students during the Q&A.
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Honors Ambassadors: If you are visiting campus and/or are unable to attend a Campus Day, we offer meetings with current Honors students so you can learn more about the program. You can access the meeting request form on our Get to Know Us page, underneath the Honors Ambassadors section.
Orientation: You will learn more about our program when you attend orientation the summer prior to your first semester here.
Information Session: Participate in the Honors Information Session in the Winter term: We hold a yearly information session for first-year students to learn more about the College of Engineering Honors Program.
Transfer Students
If you are an external transfer student (not cross-campus) at the University of Michigan, please review the Transfer Student section below for your requirements. The program requires two full-time semesters at the University of Michigan prior to applying to our program.
Location
Honors Location: 251 Chrysler Center 2121 Bonisteel Blvd.
History Honors Program: An In-Depth Look
For students specifically interested in History, the History Honors Program offers a unique opportunity to delve deeply into historical research.
Program Overview: Our Honors Program attracts students who are driven to go above and beyond an ordinary course of study. This four-year program for academically ambitious students in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA) is the best known of the Michigan Learning Communities for good reason - every aspect of the program is designed to offer a more intense level of intellectual challenge.
Admission Requirements: Once you have been accepted into LSA, you are eligible to apply for the Honors Program. Only students who have been admitted to LSA can access the application. Admission to the program is limited. Decisions are based on a student’s academic performance, background in history, demonstrated ability to write, and recommendations by faculty or GSI. The usual applicant is a first-term junior. Applicants do NOT need to be a member of the LSA Honors Program, nor do they need to be planning on a career as a professional historian. To be considered for admission, students must have at least a 3.5 GPA in history courses and a 3.4 GPA overall. This rule may be waived in exceptional cases, however high GPA alone does not guarantee admission. The Honors Committee strives to ensure that many different topics, places, languages, and time periods are represented among accepted applications.
Application Deadline: The History Honors Application opens in mid-September and is due the Wednesday following Fall Break. The Fall 2025 History Honors Application deadline is Wednesday, October 15, 2025.
Application Components:
- Recommendation Letter: You will need to request a letter of recommendation evaluating your work and preparation for undertaking an honors thesis. Keep in mind that your recommender will need a reasonable amount of time to compose a letter; we suggest you make the request at least 2 weeks in advance of the application deadline. The recommender can be from any department, though someone with a background in history can often write a stronger letter. A letter from a History GSI is acceptable if they know your work best. The letter does not need to be in any specific form and should be addressed to the History Honors Committee.
- Statement of Research Interests: In two double-spaced pages, please tell us about your experience doing research-describe what you learned from it and discuss in some detail a topic that you would like to pursue in your honors thesis. Although we recognize that, if admitted to the honors program, you may choose a different topic, we strongly recommend that you be as specific as possible in describing your current research interests. The more specific the statement of your interests, and the more convincing the demonstration of the feasibility of your research (access to primary sources, knowledge of the necessary languages, and so forth), the stronger your proposal will be.
- Writing Sample: Select a writing sample that best exemplifies your work in history. Ideally, this will be a research paper (perhaps one written for a history course) of 8-15 double-spaced pages that preferably, but not necessarily, engages with primary sources. If you do not have such a paper, you may submit one that deals with history or an historical issue in some extended way. Other sorts of writing-e.g., literary criticism, fiction, book reviews, etc.-cannot be used as writing samples.
Admission Timeline: The Honors Committee meets in early November to consider all applications. Students are notified of the committee's decision by mid-November and those accepted begin their training by taking HISTORY 498 during the upcoming winter term.
Additional Opportunities
Exploring Courses Towards a Minor: You can always pursue courses that will count towards a minor that you are interested in!
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