Honors Admission for High School Students

Overview

Our application consists of three components: your academic record, a resume, and an essay. For incoming freshmen we recommend an unweighted cumulative 3.5+ GPA. Your resume and essay serve as opportunities for you to highlight your experience in engaging with the world around you.

Note: Meeting or exceeding our academic performance recommendations does not automatically guarantee admission or a scholarship from the Honors College. Failure to meet them does not automatically disqualify you for admission.

Notification Schedule

Our application cycle runs from August 1 – May 1 each year. You will be notified of our admission decision according to this schedule:

• Apply by October 15 to receive a decision on or before November 15
• Apply by December 15 to receive a decision on or before January 15
• Apply by February 15 to receive a decision on or before March 15
• Apply by May 1 to receive a decision on or before May 15

If you apply before February 15 and are placed on our waitlist, you will receive your final Honors admission decision no later than March 31.

How to Apply

You can apply to Honors when you submit your Boise State application or anytime afterwards during our application cycle. Your Honors application is complete when your essay and resume are uploaded and you are admitted to the university. We send our decisions electronically so if you opt out of receiving messages to your personal email, then you must watch your Boise State email for notifications.

I have not yet applied to Boise State

You can apply to the Honors College as a part of your Boise State Admissions Application.

I have already applied to Boise State

You can apply to the Honors College through your Admissions Status Page, using your myBoiseState login credentials. If you haven’t set up your myBoiseState account, you will find instructions on how to do so in the email you received after submitting your Boise State application.

Required Materials

RESUME

With as much detail as possible (there is no page limit), please produce a resume detailing your activities and achievements over the last four years. Be sure to include length of your involvement in each activity (dates and number of hours served), explanations of duties, and leadership roles if applicable. You should include the following categories on your resume:

• Academics: We understand and appreciate that not every high school is able to offer multiple AP courses. If you did take AP courses, please list them on your resume. (Your Honors application will not be penalized if you did not take AP courses.)
• Professional/personal growth: Describe formal training you have received (paid or unpaid employment, internships, workshops attended, etc.) or informal experience you have acquired (such as family caregiving or running a blog) that has shaped your interests or identity.
• Community service: Explain how you have helped others and what you have done to improve your community. Your community may include, but is not limited to: your school, neighborhood, city, religious organization, or a social identity/special interest group that you belong to. Include specific projects you’ve worked on and what your role was.
• Group participation/leadership: Provide examples of group participation or leadership experience in a team, club, organization, community, etc.
• Other activities: List other special skills, talents, hobbies or knowledge you have demonstrated outside the classroom. Consider things that show your creativity, your ability see alternatives or other perspectives, or your willingness to try new things.
• Awards and recognition: Describe awards or recognitions you have received (academics, arts, athletics, community engagement, etc.)

View an example resume

ESSAY

Write a one-paragraph response to the following prompt: What is one bold question that you have contemplated and why does it interest you? Please limit your paragraph to 300 words and include the word count at the bottom of the essay.

Boise State and the Honors College recognize that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a powerful and innovative tool that may support student learning and creativity. At times, however, both the university and the Honors College prioritizes student thinking and learning without the assistance of AI. With that in mind, the essay must be written in your own words without the use of artificial intelligence (AI). Failure to comply with this policy may impact your admission to the Honors College.

ADDITIONAL CONTEXT (optional)

Sometimes your resume and essay don’t capture everything you’ve encountered or overcome. If you have a circumstance that you would like the Honors College to take into consideration when reviewing your application, we encourage you to upload a brief statement (no more than 300 words). This is your chance to provide us with additional context as we review your GPA and involvement.

Important Dates

December 15 – Honors Early Admission Date & Honors Nonresident Scholarship Priority Date

• Apply by December 15 to receive an early admission decision from the Honors College by January 15.
• If you are a nonresident student, apply to the Honors College by December 15 to be considered for an Honors Nonresident Scholarship. These scholarships help offset some of the costs of out-of-state tuition.

February 15 – Honors Admission Priority Date & Honors General Scholarship Deadline

Apply by end of day on February 15 to be eligible for honors scholarships and to be given strongest consideration for admission to our program. If you meet this deadline, you will receive an honors admission decision by March 15; if you apply after February 15, you will be considered for admission as space allows but will not be considered for honors scholarships.

April 1 – Honors Housing Priority Date

To receive priority consideration for honors housing, submit both your Honors College application by February 15 and your university housing application by April 1. All housing is assigned as space allows, on a first-come-first serve basis. Because it fills quickly, we recommend applying as soon as the housing application opens. You must select Honors College and Sawtooth Hall as your first choice in the application in order to receive priority consideration.

May 1 – Honors Admission Deadline

If you apply after the February 15 priority date, you will be considered for admission to the Honors College as space allows. We do not accept applications after May 1, but if you miss the deadline, we encourage you to apply during the next year’s application cycle beginning in August.

Appeals

If you were denied admission to the Honors College, you may request another review of your application using the link provided in your denial email. This is your opportunity to share additional information with reviewers that was not clear in your initial application.

You must submit an appeal within 30 days of receipt of your denial email. You will receive a response within three weeks of submitting your appeal.