Entrance Requirements

  • For incoming first year students:
    • Cumulative grade-point average of 3.5 or higher in years 9, 10, and 11 of high school
    • Letter of recommendation from a high school teacher
  • For current Penn State New Kensington students:
    • Cumulative grade-point average of 3.5 or higher
    • Letter of recommendation from at least one of your professors

Expectations of Honors Students

After each semester, Honors students are evaluated by the Honors faculty for retention in the program. Honors students must meet the following expectations:

  • Completion of at least six credits of Honors (H) courses each academic year.  
  • All first year students must take English 30 (Honors English) in the fall, and the designated Honors Seminar course in the spring. These courses satisfy the Honors credit requirement for the first year.
  • Maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.35 or higher.
  • Participation in at least one Honors cultural event each semester.
  • Attendance at the monthly Honors Program meetings.
  • Participation in the spring Research and Student Engagement Exposition.

At the discretion of the Honors faculty, a student who has not satisfied the above expectations will be given a probationary semester in order to correct deficiencies. If at the end of the probationary semester the deficiencies have not been corrected, the student will exit the program. Further, any student committing violations of the University's codes of academic integrity may be dropped from the Honors program.