2026 Honors Application

Honors Program Application

You must complete this application, including well-crafted responses, to the two prompts below. These prompts will become visible once you fill in the data fields. SAT/ACT test scores are not required, but you may submit them if you choose to the Admissions Office.

Accepted first-year and accepted transfer students are welcome to apply. Accepted first-year students are eligible to apply for Honors if they have maintained a high school GPA of 92 or above. Accepted transfer students with a 3.3 cumulative GPA and at least 15 credits are also eligible to apply. Transfer students who are members of honors programs or colleges at their current institution are automatically eligible for acceptance, whether or not scholarships are still available for distribution.

If your academic record does not meet these criteria, you may still apply! You will have an opportunity within the application to explain your academic history.

Current students at Fredonia with a 3.3 GPA and at least 15 credits may apply but will not be eligible for the Honors Scholarship.

Applications will be reviewed after the deadline, which is 11:59 p.m. on Monday, February 16, 2026. Applications received after this deadline will be reviewed only as long as scholarships are available.

*If you are applying to a program that requires an audition or portfolio review, please know that if you want to be considered for admission to the Honors Program with scholarship, you must complete this application by the February 16, 2026, deadline, which may fall before you receive your audition or portfolio decision.

Email Address (new students: use your application email; current students: use your Fredonia email)

First Name

Preferred Name

Last Name

Birthdate

Parent/Guardian Email Address

F# (Fredonia ID Number)

Major

Student Type

Freshman

Transfer

High School/Prior College

Cumulative High School GPA or Cumulative Transfer GPA

Are you a member of an Honors Program or Honors College at your current institution?

Yes

Please submit Honors College/Honors Program membership or participation proof. This can be in the form of a transcript that shows Honors Distinction or a letter from your current Honors Program Director.

By submitting this proof that you are a member of an Honors College or Program, you will not have to submit the essay portion of this application.

Please know that if your academic record does not meet the Honors criteria (92 GPA for graduating high school seniors: 3.3 GPA for transfer students), we still welcome your application! Please tell us briefly what your grades can't capture about who you are, what you have achieved, and why we'd be missing out if we relied only on GPA and standardized tests. (This is a separate question from the multimedia prompt.)

If relevant, please indicate the approximate number of credits you have earned from pre-college programs like AP, Dual Enrollment, International Baccalaureate, or other college-level courses. (Your answer will not affect your eligibility.)

Fredonia Honors Program Prompts
There are two sets of prompts to complete. Everyone must complete the same prompt in Part 1. In Part 2, you will have your choice of prompts.

Part 1:

What distinguishes an Honors student from a non-Honors student? That question is not easy to answer. Part of the answer may come down to drive: to the intrinsic motivation to be engaged and to go deeper with assignments and experiences.

In 150 words or fewer, tell us the following:   

What does being part of the Honors Program  at SUNY Fredonia mean to you and how do you see yourself engaging with the resources and opportunities it offers? 

Part 2:

To learn more about you, we invite you to answer one of the following prompts. The form of your response may be written (min. 750 words, framed in any professional or creative genre), multimedia (e.g., video, podcast, slides presentation), or aesthetic/innovative content (e.g., an original artwork or musical composition accompanied by an artist’s statement, an entrepreneurial solution or pitch deck accompanied by a brief explanation).

College in the United States has been many things. It has trained the clergy, produced teachers, developed citizens, and prepared students for professional careers. What do you feel college now delivers or “does” that you want to be a part of?

What is an idea/thesis for a paper, research project, creative activity, mathematical or scientific problem you’d like to develop? What draws you to this project and how may it connect (or not) to your academic goals?

*You should be able to submit your file--whether a traditional Word or PDF file or multimedia one--via this platform. For extra assurance, you may also submit your file as an attachment or via a link to honors.program@fredonia.edu. (If you choose to share a link, please make sure to give viewing permission to honors.program@fredonia.edu.)

Acknowledgment of Any Sources:
The use of sources is optional. If you use sources, please note them--we'd love to know where you draw ideas from. That said, any application response that uses AI or that is plagiarized in part or in whole will be rejected.

I certify the accuracy of all materials submitted on this form and that all work is my own.

Yes

Contact Information:
For any questions or concerns regarding your application, please write to honors.program@fredonia.edu.

Office of Admissions

Maytum Hall, 6th Floor280 Central Ave.State University of New York at FredoniaFredonia, NY 14063

2026 Honors Application

Office of Admissions

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