Honors College
Turn Curiosity into Opportunity
The Honors College at St. Cloud State University is a community built on intellectual curiosity, purposeful learning, and meaningful engagement beyond the classroom.
Honors is designed to enhance your college experience, not add barriers to it. With no additional cost, opportunities across every major, and multiple ways to join, Honors gives students the flexibility to build an experience that supports their academic, professional, and personal goals.
Through Honors, students strengthen the skills that matter in college, careers, graduate programs, and communities including critical thinking, ethical reasoning, effective communication, interdisciplinary learning, and engaged citizenship.
Why Honors?
Honors offers more than challenging coursework. It creates opportunities for students to connect what they learn in the classroom with their major, career goals, community, and the world around them.
Small Classes. Strong Connections.
Learn in an engaging environment with smaller classes, close faculty interaction, and opportunities to build meaningful relationships with other motivated students.
Learning Beyond the Classroom
Take part in community-engaged learning, research, internships, volunteering, creative work, field experiences, and other opportunities that allow you to apply what you are learning in meaningful ways.
An Experience that Complements Your Major
Honors is designed to enhance your academic program, not compete with it. Advanced Honors experiences can connect directly with your major, while individualized learning opportunities allow you to explore your own academic and professional interests.
Preparation for What Comes Next
Develop skills that transfer across careers and disciplines, including critical thinking, communication, ethical decision-making, collaboration, leadership, and the ability to understand complex issues from multiple perspectives.
Your Path to Honors
High School Students
Students applying to St. Cloud State directly from high school with a 3.5 GPA or higher qualify for automatic admission to the Honors College.
Students who do not meet the direct-admission GPA are eligible for Honors admission through other pathways.
Transfer Students
Students transferring to St. Cloud State with a 3.2 GPA or higher or who are members of Phi Theta Kappa qualify for automatic admission to the Honors College.
The Honors College also provides a flexible pathway designed specifically for students joining Honors later in their college experience.
Celebrating Our Alumni
We love hearing from our alumni! It is a gift to hear of their success and to receive a financial contribution to support our programming and students.
Find out how you can help today.