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Frequently Asked Questions

What are the Program requirements?

  • Successfully complete at least 5 Honors courses. Transfer students who enter the Program in Spring 2023 who have completed at least 4 units of Honors at a previous institution must complete only 3 Honors courses at TCNJ

How can I fit 5 Honors courses into my schedule?

  • Up to 2 Honors-By-Contract courses may be taken with Program approval
  • One unit of departmental honors research/thesis options may be used to satisfy one Honors course
  • Up to one unit of Study Abroad may be used to satisfy Honors & Scholars Program requirements
  • Most Honors courses also fulfill other TCNJ requirements

Are there any fees?

  • No

Who is eligible to apply—and when?

  • Any full-time TCNJ undergraduate with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher
  • First-year students may apply in their first semester at TCNJ if they have a full semester of college coursework (not AP credits) prior to matriculation
  • Transfer students may apply in their first semester at TCNJ
  • Applications for admission must be submitted in the Fall or Spring semesters; there is no option to apply during Winter or Summer sessions.

How can students apply—and where?

  • Students must submit the Intention to Apply to Honors & Scholars form, available online at: https://forms.gle/e2GRWEABwfwDrW8s9

    • Students who plan to submit an application at the start of the Fall semester must submit this form no later than 11:59 p.m. on May 15th of the preceding Spring semester.
    • Students who plan to submit an application at the start of the Spring semester must submit this form no later than 11:59 p.m. on January 8th.
  • After the May 15th/ January 8th deadline, students will receive a Canvas invitation: applications are due in Canvas by 11:59 p.m. on the first Friday of the Fall/ Spring semester.

What does the application consist of?

  • A recommendation from a college faculty member familiar with the student’s work: please use the online form available at https://forms.gle/e2GRWEABwfwDrW8s9
  • A previous scholarly or creative work (a list of examples is available at https://honors.tcnj.edu/admission/)
  • A 500-750-word essay that responds to all of the questions in the following prompt:

Explain how the scholarly/creative product that you have submitted for consideration is reflective of at least 2 of the 3 Pillars of TCNJ’s Honors & Scholars Program: how have Depth, Integration, and/or Purpose informed your creative/ intellectual vision and/or approach to your academic pursuits? (Click here for a description of the Honors Pillars.) What–if anything–would you change about the process that led to the creation of this scholarly/creative product? If you were to return to or continue to pursue this project, what might you revise, expand upon, or do differently now, and why?

When are students notified about admission?

  • Students are notified of the result of their application no later than 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 15th (for applications submitted at the start of the Fall semester) or March 15th (for applications submitted at the start of the Spring semester).

Can students reapply?

  • Students denied admission into the Honors & Scholars Program may reapply; however, a student may apply for admission no more than twice.

How are applications evaluated—and by whom?

  • Applications are reviewed and evaluated by the Director of the Honors & Scholars Program, in consultation with 3-4 members of the Honors & Scholars Program faculty, using the following rubric:

Honors & Scholars Application Rubric

Application explains clearly how the academic essay or creative work submitted is reflective of at least 2 of the 3 Pillars of the Honors Program. 0 1 2 3
Application clearly explains how Depth, Integration, and/or Purpose have informed the applicant’s creative/ intellectual vision and/or approach to their academic pursuits. 0 1 2 3
Application demonstrates applicant’s capacity for self-critique. 0 1 2 3
Application demonstrates applicant’s commitment to ongoing scholarly/ creative processes. 0 1 2 3

 

Score definitions: 0/ poor or incomplete; 1/ fair (occasionally unclear and/or lacks detail); 2/ good (clear, but missing some detail); 3/ excellent (clear and detailed)

 

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