Applying to the Program

After submitting the Common Application, eligible Honors applicants will find the Honors Application within their Redhawk Admissions Portal. The application consists of an essay and a letter of recommendation.

Honors Application Essay

In 600 words or fewer, answer:

In line with the Jesuit ethos and mission of Seattle University and the Honors Program’s goal of fostering students as independent thinkers who are committed to intellectual curiosity, academic integrity, and development of their own voices as writers, UHP expects that students will not use AI of any kind in the development or completion of their application to the Honors Program. UHP reserves the right to rescind admission based on AI usage.

In the Seattle University Honors Program, each entering class of students forms a learning community that engages in the in-depth study of influential works, ideas, and issues that have shaped our world over time. Our program has the following distinctive features, among others:

• An emphasis on studying the ancient, medieval, early modern, and modern past as a means of better understanding the 21st-century present;
• An emphasis on curiosity and desire to learn about ideas, figures, and experiences from diverse cultures and time periods;
• A fundamentally interdisciplinary approach to learning in which ideas from history, philosophy, literature, economics, political science, sociology, the sciences, and the arts can inform each other in meaningful ways.

Choose the feature that animates you the most and explain how it inspires you to contribute to the intellectual experience of University Honors at Seattle University. You may wish to relate a past experience of being inspired intellectually (by a book or other reading, a project, or a discussion) to illustrate why you are interested in joining our program.

Honors Letter of Recommendation

Applicants are asked to submit a letter of recommendation from a teacher that speaks to their intellectual preparedness and academic potential. After submitting your Honors Application, you will be able to nominate a recommender through your Redhawk Admissions Portal. You are welcome to use a letter of recommendation submitted with your admissions application for your Honors application as well.

The video submission is optional, but it offers an additional way for the committee to get to know you and your fit for the program. If you feel a video will strengthen your application, we encourage you to submit one.

Your video may be up to two minutes long, and you’ll have up to five attempts—so plan ahead to make the most of your time.

Successful Honors students have a passion for learning and an openness to new ideas, a commitment to studying the past in order to solve the problems of the present, and a dedication to become leaders for a just and humane world. Competitive applicants to the University Honors program demonstrate a sustained record of academic excellence, as evidenced by a strong GPA (typically 3.5 or better) and letters of recommendation.

Yes. Every student in the program receives an annual $1,800 scholarship for the full four years of their undergraduate education.

Yes! The majority of Honors students double-major in a variety of subject areas. Some recent combinations include Political Science/Philosophy, International Studies/History, English Lit/Econ, Biology/History, and Physics/Creative Writing.

Several disciplines (Creative Writing, Economics, English, History, and Philosophy) count relevant Honors seminars as fulfilling specific requirements in the major, thereby reducing the overall number of major courses a student needs to take. These credit discounts allow students to not only get a head start in their major, but also to double major or easily add a minor to complement their major.

Each track has distinctive characteristics and, while none of the tracks are designed for students in specific majors, you will want to consider what you are planning to major in when selecting a track.

CONHS programs, CSE programs, and CHESS Forensic Science and Forensic Psychology BS programs are given priority for the Innovations track. This track is designed to complement the credit intensive majors of these students, who satisfy the Honors Program's math and natural sciences requirements in their majors.

If you are interested in in a humanities or a social sciences discipline, Intellectual Traditions or Society, Policy & Citizenship are ideal choices.

• CONHS programs, CSE programs, and CHESS Forensic Science and Forensic Psychology BS programs can only take the Innovations track.
• Engineering students cannot be admitted to the University Honors Program because of class schedule conflicts.
• Matteo Ricci students are ineligible for the University Honors Program because its program of study has a separate curriculum.