Honors Program Admission Criteria
Students who have completed at least 12 units of college coursework should apply as a continuing student.
We encourage students to apply to the Honors Program as soon as they are eligible, since Honors students are required to complete at least 9 units of Honors coursework by the end of their final fall semester and 15 units of Honors coursework prior to transferring.
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.
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 single PDF that includes your responses to the following questions:
(1) What are you looking for from your college experience? How will the Honors Program help you achieve your goals? (250+ words)
(2) How many semesters do you anticipate being part of the Honors Program before transferring? (1 sentence)
(3) Honors coursework is the cornerstone of students’ experience in the program. Honors students must complete 2 Honors courses within 2 semesters of admission to the program, at least 9 units of Honors coursework by the end of their final fall semester at IVC, and at least 15 units of Honors coursework before transferring. After reviewing the list of IVC Honors courses, identify at least 5 Honors classes you would be interested in taking to fulfill the 15-unit requirement and explain why you are interested in each one. (250+ words)
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 and 15 units of Honors coursework prior to transferring.