Global Honors Admissions

Come Learn More about the Global Honors Program in Lloyd International Honors College!

You can learn more about the Honors College during a campus tour. Sign up for a special Honors info session for a quick introduction with one of our Honors Ambassadors on the first Friday of each month!

The Global Honors Program is a customizable, high-impact experience, liberal arts-based honors program intended for first-time applicants to UNCG, including traditional first-year students coming straight from high school, transfer students with no more than two semesters of experience at another college or university, early and middle college students applying to UNCG, and degree-seeking international students.

Honors College students have priority access to our themed housing, take part in Honors-only programming, and receive other special benefits, like early registration! If you want to learn more about how joining the Honors College will benefit you during your time at UNCG, just ask Why Honors?

Eligibility

Admission to The Honors College’s Global Honors Program is competitive and by application only. In order to be eligible to apply, incoming first-year applicants must have at least one of the following minimum criteria:

a minimum 1270 combined Math and Evidence Based Reading and Writing SAT score, OR
a 26 composite ACT score, OR
a 3.8 (weighted) high school GPA.

Per UNC system guidance, standardized test scores are optional for admission to UNC system institutions for students applying for Fall 2024. Test scores are not required to apply to UNCG or the Honors College, but can be used to trigger the invitation to apply if they meet the minimum criteria.

Additional factors play an important part in the consideration process, and attention will be paid to evidence of leadership, service, co-curricular activities, and creative endeavors.

The Application Process

Students interested in applying to the Global Honors Program must first apply to the University of North Carolina Greensboro. This may be done through the Common Application, College Foundation of North Carolina (CFNC) or directly through UNCG’s web site using their Student Portal. Full admission into the Global Honors Program is a two-step process involving submission of the Honors College Supplemental Application as well as admission to the University by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. Eligible applicants to UNCG (those that meet one of the required criteria described above) will receive an invitation to submit supplemental application materials through their Student Portal account once their qualifying document(s) have been received by Undergraduate Admissions. Qualifying documents include official high school transcripts showing at least a 3.8 weighted GPA, OR official ACT or SAT scores received directly from ACT or College Board.

You may begin your application to the Global Honors Program in your Student Portal as soon as you receive the invitation to apply, even if you have not completed your application to UNCG. However, students must be admitted to UNCG to join the Global Honors program in the fall.

You may contact the Office of Undergraduate Admissions at (336) 334-5243 or visit their website at admissions.uncg.edu.

The Honors College Supplemental Application

The Honors College Supplemental Application consists of the following items:

Please choose one (1) of the following essay prompts and write a 500-word essay.
We encourage you to think creatively as you answer the essay. What successful essays have in common is that they provide us a sense of who you are, your academic plans, and how you might contribute to the Honors environment at UNCG. Your essay should be carefully proofread and uploaded as a document that is formatted like a printed essay: double-spaced, with your name and a title.
1. If you could invite any 3 people to dinner, living or dead, real or fictional, who would they be and why?
2. It’s 30 years in the future. You are successful in your chosen field, and have been asked for an interview by a popular and influential journalist. Towards the end of the interview, she asks you this question: “In 2028, you graduated from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where you also completed the Global Honors Program in Lloyd International Honors College. One of the options of that program was to study abroad. Can you tell me how that experience helped to make you who you are today?” How would you answer her question?
3. UNCG’s Honors College is invested in the idea that humans are constantly undergoing the process of “becoming.” In simple terms, our selves are not static – we do not grow to a defined stage and then stop, as though we are “done.” “Becoming” happens at all stages of our lives: as we grow, learn new skills, encounter new people, engage in new experiences, we take steps to becoming someone. Who are you in the process of becoming?
A résumé.
Applicants are encouraged to provide a detailed, well-supported résumé including evidence of leadership, service, co-curricular activities, and creative endeavors. Additional explanations of positions, activities, and events are always welcome. Thoughtful and thorough preparation will have a considerable impact on application consideration.

Application Timeline for Fall 2025 Global Honors Program

Applications to UNCG and the Global Honors Program in Lloyd International Honors College open in October 2024 for Fall 2025 Admission.

Priority Deadline

By completing the UNCG application and the Honors College Supplemental Application by December 1, 2024, you are guaranteed to be notified of your admission decision in your Student Portal by January 31, 2025.

The University awards Blue and Gold Scholarships, which are merit-based scholarships. Please see here for further important deadlines and information.

The Honors College awards several prestigious merit-based scholarships through the Honors Scholars Program. All Scholars receive four years of generous funding and some may receive additional stipends for community service involvement, participation in an internship, and study abroad.

For a full list of the scholarships the Honors College awards to Global Honors applicants, please visit our Scholarships page.

Regular Deadline
The regular deadline for Global Honors Program applications is March 15, 2025. Students who apply by this date will receive their admission decisions by April 1, 2025.

Past-Deadline Applications
Applications are still accepted after the March 15th regular deadline and given the same consideration as applications received earlier in the year. Students will be notified of an admission decision on a rolling basis.

Deadline to Confirm
Students who have been admitted must confirm their intention to join the Global Honors Program and choose their residential college by May 1, 2025. Directions for confirming to the Global Honors Program are included in the admission letter posted in the Student Portal.

Petitioning for Admission to the Honors College

Petitioning Policy: If you are an incoming first-year student who does not meet one or more of the criteria for admission, but believe you belong in the Global Honors Program in Lloyd International Honors College and our themed housing, you may petition for admission. Petitions are evaluated by the Dean of the Honors College. Please send your request to petition to Dr. Frances Bottenberg at [email protected], who will respond to you with next steps. Petitions for admission in Fall 2025 must be received by April 1, 2025. Petitioners will have a decision by April 30, 2025.

A Note about Honors Housing

Read here to learn about the four Residential Colleges! Spaces for first-year students will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. We therefore encourage you to apply for housing early. Please see the Housing and Residence Life website for application procedures.