How To Apply

If you are a Fall 2026 incoming freshman recipient of the UNT Meritorious Scholarship for National Merit Finalists, Terry Foundation Scholarship, Texas Leadership Scholarship or a UNT Excellence Scholarship in the amount of $12,000, $10,000, or $8,000 you do not need to complete an application—you are automatically admitted into the Honors College. You will be contacted with additional information in mid-March/early April with additional details on accepting your automatic admission.

Students that are not automatically admitted to the Honors College may apply to join the Honors College after being admitted to UNT. Once you have been assigned a UNT Student ID number and a UNT email, use the link below to complete your application.

The Honors College application will close on June 1, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Students who wish to receive priority consideration for living in Rawlins Hall and to be eligible for Honors College scholarships should apply by the Priority Application Deadline of May 1, 2026.

The first question on the application asks that you indicate whether you are an incoming freshman, a continuing student, or a transfer student.

• Incoming freshmen are often referred to as first time in college students. If you graduate High School in Spring of 2025 (or plan to graduate in Fall 2025), and are not currently enrolled in classes at UNT or another institution, please select the Freshman designation.
• If you are currently enrolled in UNT classes, choose the Continuing Student designation.
  • Note: If you are currently in your first semester at UNT the Honors College Admissions Committee will hold applications submitted without a current UNT GPA. These applications will be reviewed once spring semester grades are posted at the end of the term.
• If you have completed one or more semesters of classes from another college or university, and have not yet taken courses at UNT, please select the Transfer Student designation.

Incorrect responses to this question may delay the processing of your application. If you have any questions about how to complete the application, contact HonorsCollege@unt.edu.

Before beginning, complete your written component (see below) to submit with your application. This file should be saved as Word or PDF documents. Additional files (transcripts, etc.) are not required as the student academic record is available to the Honors Admissions staff.

Example Written Component

Your written component (double spaced, 500-750 words) should respond to one of the prompts below.

The goal of the written component is for students to share with the Honors College Admissions Committee how their personal, academic, and professional experiences make them a suitable applicant for the Honors College. While students are permitted to utilize AI applications as a supplementary resource for outlining, proofreading, and idea generation, the primary responsibility for composing the written component remains with the student. Direct use of AI to generate the complete written component is prohibited and will be considered a violation of academic integrity policies resulting in the automatic denial of the student's application.

1. College offers countless resources for academic enrichment; imagine you have complete freedom to create your own major or degree plan. What classes would you include and how would it prepare you for your future?
2. Think about an experience where you had the opportunity to lead—formally or informally. What did you learn about yourself as a leader, and how do you plan to build on that foundation during college?
3. Reflect on a time when you felt a strong sense of belonging within a community. What made that experience meaningful, and how will you seek or create that same sense of belonging while in the Honors College?
4. Entrepreneurship is about having ideas and bringing them to life. Describe a project, initiative, or idea you’ve pursued (big or small) and explain how the Honors College will help you turn these ideas into action.

Incoming freshman will also be asked to provide their high school GPA, class rank (if available). ACT or SAT score is required. Our SAT recommended are a 600 for both Reading and Math, or a 25 for the ACT

If you wish to explain anything in your application, you may submit an addendum. An addendum is appropriate if you think the admissions committee is likely to have questions about your application. For example, if you do not believe your academic records accurately reflect your ability to succeed in the Honors College, you may use an addendum to tell us why and to share what you believe indicates your potential. Addenda should be saved as Word or PDF files and uploaded with your other application materials.

The Honors College reserves the right to rescind admission offers if a student does not meet the College's academic standards at the time of membership activation.

The Honors College is only open to undergraduate students pursuing their first Bachelors Degree.