Deep Thinking. Bold Purpose. Lasting Community.
Ask big questions with humility, explore with wonder, and pursue advanced academic opportunities in community.
Do you get excited about connecting ideas across science, society, and the arts? Want to use your city as your classroom or conduct impactful research and projects alongside a faculty mentor? That’s what Honors Scholars is all about.
Who Can Apply?
- Students from any major and background, with a wide range of academic interests and passions
- You can also double major, play varsity sports, or study abroad as an Honors Scholar—it just takes some extra planning
Important Dates
The Honors Scholars application opens on August 1 for students starting in Fall 2026. The deadline to apply is January 15. Find all dates and deadlines below!
Learn more about Cohorts at Calvin
Why Join Honors Scholars?
Interdisciplinary Learning
Mentorship That Matters
A Community of Explorers
Special Research Opportunities
Housing Communities
Graduate With Distinction
Visit Us
Are you planning a visit to Calvin? Ask your admissions counselor to schedule a meeting with an Honors Scholars representative during your visit. We'd love to meet you and answer your questions!
Honors Scholars Application Deadlines and Interviews
Applications Open
August 1: Applications Open
Priority Application Dates
November 1: Priority Deadline
Deadline to apply for Honors Scholars priority consideration. We'll review priority apps and send interview invites on a rolling basis throughout this timeline. Must be admitted to Calvin to be eligible to interview.
This is also the deadline to apply to Calvin for free.
December: Priority Interviews
Honors Scholars priority interviews:
- December 5, in person at Calvin Discovery Day
- December 8–12, virtual
Late December: Priority Offers Sent
Regular Application Dates
January 15: Regular Deadline
Regular application deadline for Cohorts and Honors Scholars.
Interview invites sent late January. Must be admitted to Calvin to be eligible to interview.
February: Interviews
Honors Scholars interviews:
- February 2–25, virtual
- February 13 and 27, in person at Calvin Discovery Day
March: Honors Scholars Offers Sent
Curriculum and Requirements
In order to be eligible for graduation “with Honors,” you must have a final cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher and complete the below curriculum.
In your first two years in the Honors Scholars program, you will explore connections between subject areas in interdisciplinary team-taught courses and honors-designated courses that fulfill nearly half of Calvin's core (general education) requirements. In these classes you and your classmates may be asked to think about:
- How the study of Literature or Art might enhance our understanding of Calvin's commitments to global regions and cultures, diversity and difference, and sustainability.
- How the study of Rhetoric and the Social Sciences might help us consider challenging issues from a variety of perspectives and communicate effectively across difference.
- How the study of Theology might prompt us to interrogate what it means to be human and what it means to be loved and called by God.
- How the study of the Natural Sciences and Philosophy might lead us to think more carefully about evidence, ethics, and our role in promoting the flourishing of God's world.
Year 1 curriculum:
- Learning to Look, Learning in Place (interdisciplinary, 4 credits)
- Foundations in Biblical Literature and Theology (4 credits)
Year 2 curriculum:
- Intermediate Studies in Biblical Literature and Theology (2 credits)
- Honors CORE + CORE (interdisciplinary, fulfills 2 credits in each of 2 core categories)
In your third and fourth years, you will take theme-based upper-level Honors Colloquium (elective) courses and develop the skills of a scholar in your specific discipline while completing an Honors thesis or creative project alongside a faculty mentor.
Year 3 curriculum:
- Preparation for the Honors Thesis (1 credit)
- Honors CORE + CORE (interdisciplinary, fulfills 2 credits in each of 2 core categories)
- Honors Colloquium (2 credits)
Upon completion of Year 3, most students in the program will have satisfied about half of their Core requirements with Honors credits.
Year 4 curriculum:
- Prompte: Honors Capstone (1 credit)
- Honors Thesis or Project (2+ credits)
- Honors Colloquium (2 credits)
