Honors Program Admission Criteria
Students who have completed at least 12 units of college coursework should apply as a continuing student. To be eligible, students must demonstrate a 3.25 GPA in at least 12 units of UC-transferable coursework. We encourage students to apply to the Honors Program as early as possible, since Honors students must complete at least 9 semester units of Honors courses by the end of their final fall semester at IVC.
High school students who have completed college coursework should apply as a first-year applicant.
Application Process
The Honors Program reviews applications on a rolling basis using a holistic review process. Students should apply to the Honors Program as soon as they are eligible so that they can complete 15 units of Honors coursework prior to transferring.
To apply to the Honors Program, follow these steps.
- Access the Honors Program application. You will need your IVC student log-in information. If you don’t know your log-in information, please contact the Student Help Desk.
- Submit the following materials with the application:
- Transcripts: Upload the most recent unofficial transcripts from all colleges attended, demonstrating completion of at least 12 units of transfer-applicable coursework with at least a 3.25 GPA.
- Portfolio: Submit three items of academic or creative work that demonstrate academic potential. Student work should be clearly labeled with your name and may include (but are not limited to) writing samples, lab reports, multimedia presentations, or artwork. Please do not submit group work or application essays you’ve submitted to other colleges. Documents should be uploaded as PDFs through the application system; we do not accept portfolio items by email. To see samples of student work, click here.
- Personal Essay: Upload a personal essay (500+ words) describing (1) what you are looking for from your college experience, (2) how the IVC Honors Program would help you achieve your goals, and (3) how many semesters you anticipate being part of the Honors Program before transferring and what you will contribute to the Honors Program community. Please be specific, write in college-level prose, and include your name at the top of the first page.
Please Note:
If you do not meet the membership requirements yet, you may apply to the program once you have a 3.25 GPA with 12 or more transferable college units. You may still enroll in Honors classes, and any Honors classes taken for a letter grade prior to program admission will be counted towards the Honors course requirement. However, we encourage students to apply to the Honors Program as early as possible, since Honors students must complete at least 9 semester units of Honors courses by the end of their final fall semester at IVC.