Honors Program

The Honors Program supports academic excellence and a culture of service through campus and community service, leadership opportunities, and examining global perspectives.

Requirements

Below are the requirements to being a member of the RBC Honors Program:

Have a 3.5+ high school GPA or 3.25+ college GPA (exceptions are made for extraordinary circumstances)
Participate in Campus Engagement
Participate in Community Service / Volunteer Hours
Complete One Honors Presents Presentation
Maintain a Minimum 15 Credit Hours per Semester if Receiving the Scholarship
Enroll in Honors Courses (COLL courses for second-year Promise Scholars count as meeting two of the below requirements)
- ESE 101 Honors Course
- ESE 102 Honors Course
- English 101 or 102 or 200 level Honors Course
- One Humanities Honors Course (History, Government, Communications, Theatre, Religion, Philosophy, Geography, Art)
- One Social/Behavioral Science Honors Course (Psychology, Sociology, Economics, Business)
- One Natural Science & Mathematics Honors Course (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Math)

Benefits

Benefits:

Access to William & Mary Bridge Courses and the Bridge Guaranteed Admissions Agreement for Transfer to William & Mary
$500 per Semester Scholarship
Honors Only Member Events (forums, panel discussions, conferences, & trips)
Access to Honors Faculty Mentor and 1-1 Advising
Access to Honors-to-Honors Transfer Agreements (see below “Transfer Agreements with Four-Year Institutions”)
Access to Honors faculty advisor

Honors Presents

Honors students will choose their topic for presentation in advance and a designated date will be chosen for the presentation. Students are encouraged to choose a topic of philosophical, moral, ethical and /or political importance.

Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society

Regardless of Honors Program participation, students earning at least a 3.5 GPA after completing credit hour requirements (at least 12 credit hours if pursuing an Associate’s degree, completion of 6 credit hours if completing a Certificate) will be invited to join Phi Theta Kappa (PTK). The purpose of PTK is to recognize and encourage scholarship among two-year college students. To achieve this purpose, PTK provides opportunity for the development of leadership and service, an intellectual climate for exchange of ideas and ideals, lively fellowship for scholars, and stimulation of interest in continuing academic excellence.

Phi Theta Kappa’s mission is two-fold:

Recognize and encourage the academic achievement of two-year college students
Provide opportunities for individual growth and development through participation in honors, leadership, service, and fellowship programming

Students are notified of their eligibility to join PTK each year by the end of February.

Honors Program Scholarship

Honors Program Scholarships are awarded to a limited number of students. Global Student Success Program participants do not qualify for scholarships. In order to be considered for a scholarship, students must complete an application, be selected, and fulfill requirements of the Honors Program.

Scholarship Details for the 2023-24 academic year:

All undergraduate, degree seeking, full-time (15 credit hours or more) Honors student shall receive a $500 scholarship per semester awarded by RBC financial aid
If the student’s GPA falls below the required the required 3.25 GPA, the student shall have one semester to return to the 3.25. If the student fails to do so, the scholarship will be revoked.
If a student fails to enroll in subsequent semesters at RBC, there is no guarantee of scholarship continuance.
Honors Application

Application

Students with at least a 3.5 high-school GPA or 3.25 college GPA are invited to apply to the Honors Program. (Exceptions are made for extraordinary circumstances.) Application deadlines are below:

Semester to Begin at RBC / Application Deadline
Fall / August 10
Spring / January 10

Applications are reviewed in the order in which they are received, so it is best to apply early. The application can be found here. To complete the application, students must upload a resume and their response to the given essay question.

Incoming student essay prompt: “If you could make a difference in the world focusing on one area, which area would you choose? Relate your choice to your intended major or current hobbies. Please write an essay (300-500 words) on this topic.”
Sophomore essay prompt: “Please write an essay (300-500 words) explaining how you have taken advantage of all that RBC has to offer.”

Students who fulfill the Honors Program requirements each semester during their first year will be invited to re-apply for acceptance and an Honors Program Scholarship their second year. Re-acceptance is not guaranteed.

Contact

To learn more email honors@rbc.edu