Honors Program

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Qualified students for the Fall 2025 ONU Honors Program are now eligible to submit their application.

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Enriching the overall student experience

The Honors Program at ONU offers self-motivated, intellectually curious, and highly-qualified students a framework to create a student-directed education.

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Recognition

As an Honors Program student, you will be recognized as an “ONU Honors Program graduate” at commencement. Your diploma and transcripts also will acknowledge that you completed the Honors Program.

In Their Own Words

ONU Honors students connect with alumni to discover how the Honors Program expanded their horizons and enabled them to achieve their career and life aspirations. Click on the profiles below to learn more.

Jay Garneau, BA ’12

Senior Marketing and Communications Director, Democracy Works

Luke Fickenworth, BS ’20

Luke Fickenworth, who excelled at ONU in both biology and soccer, now attends Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine in Michigan.

Anna (McLaughlin) Hazard, BA ’10

Prevention counselor, Beech Acres

What our students have to say

“The Honors program has become a large part of my experience at ONU. Being a part of the Honors program not only helps to influence and increase my academic strengths, but it contributes to my overall social experience and my feeling of connectedness to ONU. One of my favorite things about the Honors Program and its courses is that I get to have classes and connect with students who I may not normally have class with such as engineers and business majors. Without these opportunities, I do not think that Ohio Northern would feel like another home for me like it does now.”
“Being in the ONU honors program has allowed me to make meaningful connections with professors and others in my future profession. It has made my time here at ONU feel much more engaging since I am learning from people I see as peers. Being able to communicate with these people on a regular basis has also strengthened my connection to the career path I am following.”
"Being an Honors student has been very helpful in achieving my future endeavors. From being integrated with an academically engaging community, to having opportunities to work one-on-one with my professors on topics of my interest, I have been able to mold my education to help me achieve my goals. Being provided encouragement and academic freedom in projects has provided me insight into my future career path, and I am grateful for it."
"Being an Honors student reminds me why I value my education so much. I feel encouraged to follow my passions and nurture my mind."
"Being a part of the ONU Honors Program has contributed greatly to my personal and professional growth. My favorite part of the program thus far has been the community full of interdisciplinary collaboration. This community offers a unique opportunity to learn with and from other highly motivated students pursuing a wide range of majors both within and outside of the classroom. Because of this aspect of the Honors Program, I have made many close friends who continually inspire me in my academic pursuits."
"The honors program has allowed me to build connections with both professors and other students. It encouraged to pursue my interests at an enhanced level, and I feel supported in my academic endeavors."

Program Information

Want to learn more about the Ohio Northern University Honors Program? See answers to some commonly asked questions below.

After being accepted to Ohio Northern, prospective students with an ACT composite of 29 or higher (or equivalent SAT score) and a high school GPA of 3.5 (or top 10% of graduating class) may apply to enter the Honors Program. International applicants who do not submit an ACT or SAT score for university admission may substitute an iBT of 90 or higher or IELTS of 7.0 or higher for consideration for the Honors Program.

If you do not meet the GPA or test score requirement, or you have applied test-optional, it is possible to petition to have other markers of academic success be considered. Candidates can petition to apply to the Honors Program if they do not meet these requirements, but have similar evidence of academic success. If you are interested in being considered under these circumstances, please submit this petition to the Honors Program Director, Dr. Jen Moore.

To apply for the Honors Program, admitted students should submit an essay that addresses the following prompt. Other information (e.g., test scores and GPA) will be drawn from your ONU application. The Honors Faculty Board recommends that the essay be approximately between 500-600 words.

The essay prompt is:
An intellectual community has a unique quality, unlike any other. Think about intellectual communities you have participated in, and the common denominators that bring scholars (like you) together. How will participating in the community of the ONU Honors program contribute to your future goals? To answer this, describe what you think the purpose of an intellectual community is, and the ways that your goals will benefit from participating in the ONU Honors community.

To submit your ONU Honors Program application and essay, click here.

There are a limited number of spaces in the Honors Program. The Honors Faculty Board will give priority consideration to applications submitted no later than February 24. Earlier applications are accepted (and encouraged). Applications after this date will be considered as space allows. If you are interested in the Honors Program, but you have missed this deadline, please contact the Honors Director.
There are a limited number of spaces in the Honors Program. The Honors Faculty Board will give priority consideration to applications submitted no later than February 24. Earlier applications are accepted (and encouraged). Applications after this date will be considered as space allows. If you are interested in the Honors Program, but you have missed this deadline, please contact the Honors Director.
Enrolled students who complete their first academic semester with an ONU GPA of 3.50 or higher also may apply if space is available. Please contact the Director for further information.
If you are a self-motivated student who is interested in the Honors program, but you applied test-optional, it is still possible to apply to the Honors Program. To do so, you should petition the Honors Program faculty board to have your application considered. Your petition requires a statement explaining the evidence of your past academic success that you believe is an indicator of how you would thrive in the Honors Program. This petition will take the place of a standardized test score. If your petition is granted, you would then proceed to the standard application. To submit your petition, click here.
If you are a self-motivated student who is interested in the Honors program, but you do not meet either the GPA or test scores threshold, you can petition the Honors Program Faculty Board to have your application considered. Your petition requires a statement explaining the evidence of your past academic success that you believe is a better indicator of how you would thrive in the Honors Program. If your petition is granted, you would then proceed to the standard application. To submit your petition, click here.
To remain active in the Honors Program, students must have a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or better at the end of their second semester and a cumulative GPA of 3.20 or better at the end of their fourth semester at ONU. A student must graduate with a 3.30 GPA in order to complete the Honors Program. Any student whose cumulative GPA is below 3.30 can't enroll in the Honors Program Capstone Enhancement.
We do not offer separate Honors Program scholarships. (You’ll receive notice of your general ONU scholarship awards, along with an admission offer, before you’re accepted into the Honors Program.)
The Honors Program will guide students in developing and pursuing a self-tailored educational experience that will:
1. Nurture intellectual curiosity, critical reflection, and value creation as the foundation of success in future endeavors.
2. Develop their ability to communicate effectively through varied means, in multiple contexts, and for different audiences.
3. Foster engagement with diverse concepts, tools, and methodologies across different fields of knowledge.
4. Enrich engagement with the concepts, tools, and methodologies within students’ own program or profession.
5. Encourage active participation in academic, civic, and global communities.
Through successful completion of the Honors Program, students will demonstrate their ability to:
1. Create and evaluate personal educational goals, exemplifying education as a critical and creative enterprise.
2. Evaluate ideas, methods, and concepts from different perspectives and areas of human knowledge.
3. Communicate clearly and effectively with different audiences and in different contexts.
4. Express and exemplify the role of civic engagement or ethical reasoning in learning.
5. Using skills and knowledge of a learner’s chosen field, identify and apply concepts and methods to define a problem and work toward a solution.
6. Create research, scholarship, creative work, and other materials that illustrate the growth in the student’s chosen vocation, academic interest, or community involvement.

The Honors Program has been one of my best experiences at ONU, both academically and socially. It prepared me to be a good candidate when the opportunity came to apply for a Fulbright grant (which I received) to study in Hungary.

Molly Ryan, Fulbright Scholar and ONU Pharmacy alumnus

Be a Polar Bear!

Join Ohio Northern’s Honors Program, and you’ll discover experiences designed to nurture your curiosity, your written and oral communication skills, and your leadership capabilities. The Honors Program also gives you the chance to be more actively involved in your education.

Dr. Jennifer Moore, Director
ONU Honors Program
Dukes Memorial 104
419-772-2105
j-moore.18@onu.edu

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Honors Program

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Enriching the overall student experience

Recognition