Honors First-Semester Entry Application

Honors First-Semester Entry Application - Spring 2025

Overview

The First-Semester Entry program allows students in the first semester of their first year at UGA to apply for acceptance into the Morehead Honors College. The Honors application is currently open for students who were admitted to UGA through the First-Year application process for Spring 2025.

Full program information is available on our website.

If you are a transfer applicant to UGA, please visit our transfer applicant page to learn about the Honors transfer application pathway.

Materials and Deadlines

Applications and their supporting materials are due at 5 PM ET on April 29, 2025.

Required materials include:

This application, completed, including:
The required questions
Three required essays
A letter of recommendation from one of your first-semester instructors (faculty or graduate teaching assistant)

Incomplete applications will not be considered. Applications will be considered incomplete if they are missing required information on the application form or if they are missing the required letter of recommendation from a current UGA faculty member or graduate teaching assistant.

Please complete the application carefully. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that all fields are fully and accurately completed. Applications are considered finalized once submitted.

Selection Criteria

The Morehead Honors College is a merit-based academic unit. The assessment process for First-Semester Entry applications considers the applicant’s UGA GPA, the quality of their essays, and strength of the faculty letter of recommendation submitted on their behalf.

To be eligible for consideration, applicants must meet the eligibility requirements listed on the First-Semester Entry webpage, including:

• A first-semester course load that has at least 14 A-F graded credit hours

• A minimum 3.8 cumulative UGA GPA earned after the first semester

Next Steps for Accepted Students

Accepted students will be notified via their UGAMail accounts and will receive an acceptance letter from Dean Amstutz welcoming them to the Honors College. Accepted students will be required to enroll in and complete the HONS 1000H: Introduction to Honors seminar during the Fall 2025 semester. Failure to do so will result in dismissal from the Honors College.

Student Information

First Name*

Middle Name

Last Name*

Preferred Name*

Please enter your preferred first name.

Gender*

Female

Male

I prefer not to respond.

UGA 81x Number*

UGA MyID*

i.e. abc12345

UGA Email Address*

Date of Birth*

Contact Information

Permanent (Home) Street Address*

City*

State*

Please select "None" if not applicable.

Select

ZIP Code*

Please enter "None" if not applicable.

County*

Please enter "None" if not applicable.

Country*

Choose from the dropdown or enter your country name.

Select or enter value

Cell Phone Number*

Academic Information

Academic College(s)*

Select

Major(s)*

Select

Minor(s)

Select

Certificate(s)

Credit Hour Eligibility

To be eligible for First-Semester Entry consideration, applicants must be be taking a first-semester course load of at least 14 graded A-F credit hours this term. To help us verify your eligibility, please carefully read and follow the instructions for the next two questions.

A-F Graded Credit Hours*

Please enter the number of A-F graded credit hours you are taking this term. To check if a course is graded A-F, you can search the course on UGA Bulletin.

Course Schedule Screenshot

To verify your credit hour eligibility, you must upload a PDF screenshot of your current course schedule. This screenshot must include your name, the names and numbers of your courses (i.e. FYOS 1001 - First Year Odyssey) and the number of credit hours you are taking this semester. Below are two methods for capturing a screenshot with this information from Athena:

Method 1

Log into Athena
Click "Student Services"
Under "Transcripts & Enrollment Verification," select "Unofficial Transcript"
Select "Undergraduate" for Transcript Level and "Unofficial Web" for Transcript Type.
At the bottom of your transcript, you will see courses in progress.
Take a screenshot that captures this semester's courses, the number of credit hours for each, and your name, which should be displayed in the top right corner of the page.
Convert the screenshot to a PDF (see below).

Method 2

Log into Athena
Click "Student Services"
Under "Student & Registration," click "Registration."
On the Registration page, click "View Registration Information"
Select the current term in the "Look Up a Schedule" pane.
Click and drag the bottom of the "Look Up a Schedule" pane so your full schedule and total hours are visible. Note: You are screenshotting the pane that simply lists your courses ("Look Up a Schedule"). Do not screenshot the pane that displays a weekly timetable (called "Schedule"), as it will not display all of the necessary information.
Take a screenshot, being sure to capture your name, which should be displayed in the top right corner of the page.
Convert the screenshot to a PDF (see below).

To avoid display issues when your application is reviewed, please ensure that your uploaded screenshot is a PDF file. Below is a simple method for converting an image file to a PDF with Microsoft Word:

Convert to PDF

Open Microsoft Word.
Paste or insert your screenshot into the document. Make sure all of the information on your screenshot is clear.
Click "File."
On the left-hand tool bar, select "Save as Adobe PDF."**
A PDF of your screenshot will be created and will open up in your device's default PDF viewer (typically the free Adobe Acrobat Reader application on Windows computers or the Preview application on Macs).

**Alternatively, you can choose "Print," and select the PDF option under "Printer," or you can choose "Save as" and select "PDF" as the file type before saving.

Upload Course Schedule (must be PDF)*

Drag and drop files here or

Required Essays

The following three required essays will help us gauge your interest in the Morehead Honors College and help us get to know you better. Each essay should be no longer than 1500 characters, including spaces.

Please double check your character count including spaces in a separate word document. Any characters beyond the limit will be cut-off in your final submitted application.

Essay A*

Tell us what draws you to your major. What big questions and issues fascinate you most, which aspects of your major are you most interested in exploring further as you finish your degree, and why?

Essay B*

Tell us about a time when you overcame a significant challenge and grew as a thinker or as a person as a result. Describe the nature of the challenge, what you did to overcome it, and what you learned as a result.

Essay C*

Tell us about your most meaningful leadership or service project (your example can be from high school). Describe the work you did, and share what you learned about yourself and others through this work.

Optional Biographic Information

Colleges and universities are asked by many groups including the federal government, accrediting associations, college guides, and newspapers, to describe the backgrounds of their students and employees. In order to respond to these requests, we invite you to answer the following three optional questions.

Are you Hispanic or Latino?

This question is optional.

Yes

Regardless of your answer to the prior question, please check one or more of the following groups in which you consider yourself to be a member:

This question is optional.

American Indian or Alaska Native

Asian (including the Indian subcontinent)

Black or African American (including Africa and Caribbean)

Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander

White (including Middle Eastern)

Is English your first language?

This question is optional.

Yes

If you selected, "No" above, please enter your first language below.

This question is optional.

Letter of Recommendation Information

This application requires that one letter of recommendation be submitted on your behalf from a current UGA faculty member or graduate teaching assistant. This person must have an instructional role over you during the current term, and their letter must be submitted on official electronic departmental letterhead.

This letter should address your academic abilities and your suitability for acceptance into the Honors College.

Upon submitting your application, your letter writer will receive an email allowing them to upload a letter of recommendation on your behalf.

Applications that do not receive a letter of recommendation by the application deadline are incomplete and will not be considered.

You must enter your instructor's UGA email address (ending in @uga.edu).

Letter of Recommendation Writer*

Letter of Recommendation Writer UGA Email*

Please double check that there are no typos in this email address before submitting your application.

Required Acknowledgements

Acknowledgement*

As the applicant, I am responsible for ensuring that my application is complete and that all of my materials, including my letter of recommendation, are received by April 29, 2025 at 5 PM ET. I understand that incomplete applications, un-submitted application drafts, and applications received after the deadline will not be considered.

I acknowledge the above statement.

Acknowledgement*

If accepted, I understand that I am required to enroll in and complete the HONS 1000H: Introduction to Honors seminar during my first semester in the Honors College, and I understand that failure to do so forfeits my place in the Honors College.

I acknowledge the above statement.

Acknowledgement*

I certify that I am a current first-semester, first-year student who entered UGA in the Spring 2025 term through the First-Year application process. I understand that this application pathway is not open to students who entered or will be entering UGA through the transfer application process or current UGA students who entered UGA in a different term. I understand that applying through the incorrect pathway would nullify any potential Honors offer of acceptance.

I acknowledge the above statement.

Not in the right place?

Please click here to learn more about our other application pathways.

Acknowledgement*

I certify that all information I have included on this application is true and accurate to the best of my understanding. *

I acknowledge the above statement.

Send me a copy of my responses

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