Students sit around on laptops

The Lebanon Valley College Honors Program

Honor the Excellence in You

Excellence is more than a grade on a transcript. It is bold action that comes in many forms: Leadership. Service. Working toward justice. Sustainability efforts. Creative expression. And myriad other ways to explore and improve the world.

We honor the excellence in you. LVC’s Honors Program is a living-learning experience for a select group of curious, passionate, action-oriented students.

It combines specialized academic and out-of-class opportunities, including designated Honors courses focusing on immersive learning and interdisciplinary exploration.

You belong. Together—and with the guidance of Honors First-Year Mentors and your professors—you’ll form a community of support, inclusion, respect, and friendship. You’ll collaborate to develop programs and projects to further your interests and get more out of your LVC experience.

For residential students, you’ll also live with your Honors Program peers, who come from diverse backgrounds and have varied academic interests.

Our admissions process is holistic; we seek to admit students who combine strong academic preparation in high school with strengths that move beyond the classroom, such as evidence of leadership, interdisciplinary interests, and community service. Academic standards for admission into the program are usually a high school GPA of 3.5 and rank in the upper 20% of your high school class.

The Honors community is intentionally diverse and inclusive, with people from various backgrounds coming together to respect and support each other. We encourage applications from students of all races, ethnicities, national origins, religions, abilities, gender identities, and backgrounds; from students who are first in their family to go to college; and from all students who are passionate about learning and making the world better.

 

How to Apply

The Honors Program application for the 2024–2025 academic year will open in November. Students will receive an email with additional information once the application is available. The Honors program application process is competitive, and not all applicants will be accepted into the program. Your application will be a primary factor in the decision. Respond thoughtfully to those questions, and the Honors Committee will look forward to reviewing your application and learning more about you. After applying, students move through a selection process that includes a one-on-one interview with a faculty representative from the Honors Committee.

 

Honors Advantages

  • An annual $1,000 scholarship toward tuition
  • Honors courses with inspiring faculty
  • Community residence hall assignments
  • An Honors graduation ceremony, regalia, and recognition on your transcript
  • A competitive career advantage through our partnership with the Breen Center for Career and Professional Development

 

Your Honors Commitment

We get it. You’re passionate, and you want to make the world better—but you want to get involved with other amazing opportunities the College offers, too. So, what’s the commitment?

It’s pretty simple. You need 18 Honors units to graduate from LVC with Honors. Most of those units (95%) are completed in special sections in general education courses that are for Honors students: so, you’re taking classes you would take anyway, just with other members of Honors. Honors classes focus on the significant challenges facing our world, and what we can do to help our society and communities solve those problems.

And if you decide it’s not for you? You can withdraw at any time.

If you commit to Honors for the upcoming academic year, know that you’re committing to:

  • If you’re a residential student, living with other Honors students in our Honors First-Year Learning Community
  • If you’re a commuter student, participating in Honors activities on campus and spending time outside classes bonding with the group
  • Participating in fun activities in the residence hall and community with other Honors students
  • Taking the Honors First-Year Experience courses in fall and spring, both of which fulfill general education requirements
  • Taking a 1-credit Immersive class that introduces you to local community service opportunities in the spring semester—this will also fulfill one of your Immersive requirements for general education!
  • Maintaining your GPA. Though we don’t have a GPA requirement for first-year students to remain in the program, we do as you progress through your academic career. The GPA threshold for sophomores is 3.1, juniors is 3.2, and graduation is 3.3.

In Their Words

I had to make a college decision that would change the course of my life during one of the biggest global pandemics in history. I was scared; I didn’t want to make the wrong choice. This honors group was one of the only certainties I experienced throughout this pandemic, and I could not imagine my life any other way. Whether we were Zoom calling over the summer to get to know one another, or just sitting and talking in the hallway after move-in, we have all bonded through our unique circumstances this year.
Jacquelyn McBride ’24, ACS Chemistry and Technical Writing
Being in the Honors program has—and I’m not exaggerating—changed my entire college experience. It has given me a place and a community where I feel at home. Everyone has been so incredibly kind and welcoming. Coming from a small high school, it feels comforting to be part of a family-like group that I wouldn’t trade for anything.
Rory Reiley ’24, Actuarial Science
The honors community has allowed me to reach out to other students with the aspirations to truly impact the community they reside in. They not only have the aspirations, but the ability, determination, and resilience to pursue their goals no matter the adversity. I truly believe this is the community I have been looking for and want to help foster.
Brandon Bauer ’24, Computer and Data Science