After you have been accepted to Ashland University, you may apply for the Honors Program through your Admission Application Portal. Please consult the Admission Guidelines before applying. 

Consideration for admission to the Ashland University Honors Program is based on a holistic review of your application.  There is no application deadline and decisions for admission to the Honors Program are made on a rolling basis.   First consideration is given to students meeting the following guidelines.  

• 3.50 GPA on a 4.00 scale
• ACT composite score of 27  or SAT of 1280
• Due to uncertainties with ACT and SAT test dates and availability, Ashland University has made submission of test scores optional for fall 2022.  The AU Honors Program will also accept students without requiring test scores for this year.  

Applicants falling close to the above thresholds are still encouraged to apply.  In your application, be sure to clearly document your leadership and service experiences which speak to your qualifications for the Honors Program.

All incoming students accepted into the Honors Program will be considered for an Honors scholarship (currently $1000 to $1500, and on top of any other scholarships awarded).  Honors candidates will be interviewed by the Honors Director or a faculty member of the Honors Program Advisory committee. 

If you are a current High School Student - Apply for the Honors Program and upload your essay through your Admission Application Portal. If you are a current Ashland University Student complete the Honors Application below and email your essay to honorsapps@ashland.edu.

Write an essay of 400-500 words (approximately two double-spaced pages) on one of the following topics:

• If you could invite a real person (living or historical) or a fictional character to a dinner party, who would you invite and why?
• Describe a problem you've solved or a problem you'd like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma-anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution. 
• A hallmark of the Ashland University Honors Program is intellectual curiosity.  Describe how you have demonstrated intellectual curiosity in the past – a time that you immersed yourself in a topic and went beyond the requirements of a specific assignment.  What did you learn, and what impact did it have on you?
• Creativity can be expressed in many ways. In lieu of an essay, you may submit a project that demonstrates your creativity in an area such as music, theatre, photography, visual arts, creative writing and literature, mathematics, science, history, dance or the like. Although not required, you may wish to include a brief paragraph providing background information about your project.