FAQs
What are the criteria used for admission into the honors program? Will I have to submit something in addition to the standard Georgia Tech application?
There is no separate application for the Honors Program, nor is there a particular combination of test scores and grades that guarantees an invitation into the program. When students have been formally accepted to Georgia Tech, they will receive information from the Honors Program asking them to contact the Honors Program via e-mail if they wish to be considered for an invitation; there is no additional material needed. The Honors Program Selection Committee then evaluates the application materials and supporting credetials that students originally submitted for admission to the Institute.
All of the information included in the application will be considered in the decisions, and special attention will be given students who have shown evidence of considerable commitment to intellectual, cultural, and social concerns and who seem to possess a strong desire for a challenging, interdisciplinary, inquiry-based educational experience.
How and when will I know if I've been selected for the Honors Program?
The Honors Program sends letters of invitation to students selected for the program
on a rolling basis, beginning in March and continuing through early June. A substantial
number of the invitations typically come after May 1, the deadline for students
admitted to Georgia Tech to indicate their intention to matriculate.
Does the Honors Program entitle me to a scholarship or some other sort of financial aid?
Admission to the Honors Program does not automatically entitle you for financial aid. However, Georgia Tech has many need- and merit-based scholarships for which you may qualify.
Can I be a candidate for both the Honors Program and the President's Scholarship Program? If I'm selected for both, can I participate in both?
Yes, you can be considered and selected for both. The President's Scholarship Program and the Honors Program are separate and distinct programs, each with its own selection process. Selection for one does not guarantee selection for the other, of course, but there is a good deal of overlap between the two.
Similarly, can I be in the Honors Program and still take advantage of the new International Program or the Research Program?
Yes, students in the Honors Program can participate in any program or major, and we strongly encourage them to take full advantage of the many curricular options Georgia Tech has to offer. The Honors Program itself is not a separate major. Rather, it is a program that works with students and the various academic units at Georgia Tech to develop an inquiry-based approach to learning that carries over from the first two years of their education into their specific major.
Will I be expected to live in an Honors Program residence hall in my first year? What if I'm also a President's Scholar and want to live with other PS students?
Unless there are compelling circumstances, first-year Honors Program participants will be expected to live in the Honors Program residence hall with other HP students, some of whom will also be PS students. One of the primary goals of the Honors Program is to provide opportunities for informal interactions between students and faculty outside the classroom, and many of the Honors Program extra- and co-curricular activities will take place in or around the residence hall. Living in Howell, then, helps students participate fully in the life of the Honors Program community.
Doing so does not, however, isolate our students from the rest of the campus community. Honors Program students take their meals, for instance, in Brittain Dining Hall, the main dining facility that serves all of the residence halls on East Campus. By the same token, many of the Honors Program activities will be open to all members of the campus community, and students not formally in the HP are welcome to attend.
The Honors Program will incorporate the seven components of the Freshmen Experience Program into its residential program.
If the Honors Program emphasizes smaller, inquiry-driven classes based on discovery rather than lecture, won't that be harder than other classes? Will I have more work than other students? Will my GPA suffer?
Georgia Tech prides itself on offering a very rigorous and challenging curriculum to all students, whether in the Honors Program or not. Honors Program classes will not necessarily involve exceptional amounts of work or have more stringent grading
standards. They will, however, emphasize a classroom environment that encourages students to be fully engaged as active participants in the learning process.