Apply to the Honors College

The mission of the Honors College at Montana State University is to prepare academically motivated students to think critically and independently within a challenging and supportive community, by partnering with all other colleges, departments, and programs at the university.

Why should I join the Honors College?

At the core of the honors college experience is a robust portfolio of interdisciplinary seminars where students from all majors engage in vigorous discussion in classrooms where their voices are centered. Instead of being told what to think, students practice making arguments that reflect their values.

An equally robust co-curriculum gives students a chance to learn outside the classroom and deepen friendships with other Honors College students. Each academic year begins with a two-day excursion into the beautiful Hyalite Canyon, where first-year students participate in vigorous hikes, book discussions, community building, and faculty presentations. Later place-based excursions include Ski and Read in the winter and a visit to Tippet Rise. Students also have ample opportunities to grow as leaders.

All students interested in the Honors College at Montana State University must complete the MSU application and be accepted to the university before completing the Honors College application. The separate and free Honors College application is submitted through InfoReady.

1. Transcript COPY. A copy of a high school and/or college transcript. We do not have access to transcripts sent to the main admissions office; an unofficial copy or screen shot must be supplied directly to our office.

2. ACT/SAT Scores (optional). Test scores are not required for the Honors College application, but you may submit them if you prefer.

3. Academic Statement. A brief statement* (up to 250 words) discussing your academic career plans, including any planned major(s) and future career/professional aspirations.

4. Essay. A typed essay* (up to 500 words) on one of the following prompts:

   1. bell hooks wrote about the “sheer joy” of school as a place where “through ideas [she could] reinvent” herself. Discuss how you have specifically lived out this idea in your own schooling up to this point or how you hope to engage in that joyful project in the MSU Honors College based on the classes and programming offered in the college.
   2. Write an essay that reflects on a meaningful conversation you had with someone you personally know (name them and identify their relationship to you) that altered your belief system or how you see the world or what you hope for your future.
   3. Select a creative work, (e.g., a novel, film, poem, musical piece, painting, or other work of art) which has influenced the way you view the world and yourself. Discuss the work and its impact on you.
5. Reference Letter. A signed letter of reference on letterhead addressed to the Honors College from a former or current teacher who knows you and your work.
6. For American Indian/Alaskan Native students, a copy of Tribal Identification documents, if applicable.

Contact Information

Want more information?