Honors College Application Requirements

Eligibility Criteria

Students who meet the eligibility criteria and have been accepted for regular admission to Washington Adventist University are encouraged to submit an application to enter into the Honors College.

First Year Students – Most successful applicants will have a cumulative high school GPA of at least 3.5 and a minimum SAT score of 1170 (out of 1600) or a minimum ACT score of 23 (approximately 70th percentile of those who take the tests using 2019 percentiles). There may be cases, however, where a student may have a GPA higher and a lower test score, or a higher test score and a lower GPA. In those instances, please use the chart below to determine automatic eligibility:

Students who do not fit into this chart are still encouraged to apply, but are not automatically eligible. For instance, a student with a GPA of 3.0 and an SAT score of 1350 would not meet automatic eligibility, but could be a successful applicant.

In instances where SAT or ACT scores are lower than typically accepted, strength of the reading and writing scores are an important factor, as higher reading and writing scores tend to be more reflective of success in the Honors College curriculum than math scores.

Applications may not be successful if the GPA is below 3.5 and is combined with an SAT score below 1100, or an ACT composite score below 21, though individual cases may merit consideration. To help us consider students who do not automatically eligible, applicants may be asked to submit academic writing samples as part of the admissions review process, and feedback based on the writing
samples will be added to the numerical data derived from GPA and test scores.

Students may reapply after one semester of college attendance if the college GPA is at least 3.4 based on a full academic load, or if they meet the criteria to be accepted into Phi Eta Sigma (the Freshman honors society). Applicants already in college will be assessed not only by GPA, but also on strength of course schedule and extra-curricular activities.

Last revised: Feb 2020

Application Procedures

If you are ready to submit an application, visit the Application page to complete our online form. You must also be prepared to submit one or more of the following:

Letter of Intent (all applicants): This document is a combination of a letter of introduction to yourself, an explanation of what you hope to gain from the program, as well as what you feel would be your contribution to the program. The letter should be 500-750 words.

Letter of Recommendation (transfer and continuing): This letter should ideally be from a college instructor who knows you well.

Writing Sample (as requested): If requested, this should be a sample of your best high school (if first year applicant) or college level work.

Once applicants have completed the online form, they must send all supplementary documents (letters of intent, letters of recommendation, and/or writing samples) to the Honors email account: honorscollege@wau.edu.

An application will only be processed once a completed application form and supplementary documentation is received by the Honors director.

The Honors director will then supply the application to the Honors Admissions Committee to determine if membership is granted. Early application is highly recommended since membership in the Honors college is competitive and limited.