Honors Students

Looking for an academic challenge?

Consider our College Honors Program

The College Honors Program (CHP) exemplifies Messiah College's commitment to academic excellence and to fostering an intellectually rigorous Christian worldview.

College Honors Program Requirements

The College Honors Program is designed for students who demonstrate high scholarly ability early in their academic careers and rewards them for this ability and their academic successes.

College Honors Program participation requirements

Admittance into the program during the senior year of high school (see “Applying to the College Honors Program, below)

• A series of interdisciplinary honors courses which satisfy selected general education requirements
• Attendance at various Honors Congress events designed for CHP members each semester
• An honors research project, typically completed during the senior year at Messiah (Research grants are available to support students' Honors Project research.)

Applying to the College Honors Program:

To initially be considered for membership into the College Honors Program, students must:

1. Complete their application for admission to Messiah College by January 15th  of their senior year of high school
2. Receive, at minimum, a 1300 SAT (math and critical reading) or a 29 ACT score
3. Rank within the top 10% of their high school class, if provided

Timeline

• January / February
  During the months of January and February, selected students who have met these initial qualifications described above are invited to interview for entrance into the CHP.
  Please note: Not all initially qualified students will receive an invitation to interview.
  
  
• March
  At the conclusion of this interview process, in early March, students will be notified of the results and will find out if they have been accepted into the CHP.

How many students are admitted into the College Honors Program?

Each year, approximately 105 students are admitted in the program and of those 105 students, seven are awarded Trustees' Scholarship and 70 are awarded our President's Scholarship.  The remaining students are awarded the Provost's Scholarship.

College Honors Program scholarships

The Trustees’ Scholarship (awarded to seven students) is valued at the full cost of the first-year’s tuition. This amount is awarded for four years, provided students maintain a 3.6 GPA each academic year and continue to hold a leadership role on campus.

The President’s Scholarship (awarded to 70 students) is valued at 60% of the first-year’s tuition. This amount is awarded for four years, provided students maintain a 3.2 GPA over the freshman academic year, a 3.4 GPA each following year, and continue to hold a leadership role on campus.

College Honors Program participants receiving a Provost Scholarship must meet the GPA requirements for the President's scholarship to continue in the Program. 

For more information, please contact either Dr. Dean Curry, Program Director, or your admissions counselor.