The First-Year Honors Program is a great introduction to the University Honors Program and is focused on helping you have a good academic and social transition to Iowa State.

During the fall semester, First-Year Honors Program students enroll in English 2500H (or another honors course or seminar if they have already earned credit for English 2500), Library 1600, and Honors 1210, the First-Year Honors Seminar. Students also have the option to enroll in honors sections of introductory classes.

In the spring semester, First-Year Honors Program members may choose to participate in the First-Year Mentor Program, which matches students and faculty on research projects. In this unique and highly-regarded program, first-year students earn academic credit while working with faculty mentors on research.

Amidst all of that, First-Year Honors Program students can live in honors housing, enroll in honors courses and seminars, participate in leadership and service opportunities, and attend honors events (everything from honors salons to trivia competitions to glow-in-the-dark ultimate frisbee to ice cream socials). First-Year Honors Program is a great way of making the university smaller during students’ first year of college and is a great springboard to other opportunities at Iowa State.

A few advantages are access to specialized staff/faculty, smaller class sizes, and priority registration. The First-Year Mentor Program and senior honors project give students opportunities to do research that most undergraduates don’t have. Honors courses offer more hands-on learning and discussion than is found in regular course sections, and honors seminars allow students to explore topics outside the regular curriculum.

Honors sections are not more difficult than regular sections. The essential differences between honors sections and regular sections are the class size and the instructional approach. Honors sections are usually limited to 30 students, while regular sections of some classes may have as many as 400 students. This smaller class size allows more interaction among students and instructors, provides more flexibility in the instruction, and allows students to pursue unique topics and independent study. Most students find honors sections to be intriguing, interactive, and enjoyable.

It depends on the course and the instructor; classes tend to be more in-depth and more challenging. Honors courses are typically smaller, which means more discussion – you’re not going to be able to hide in the back row of a lecture hall in an honors course. Although there may be more work, there is also easier access to instructors because of the smaller class size. Also, because the material is more in-depth, the instructor’s presentation may be more interesting and engaging than a regular class. Your classmates will be honors students who want to do well, so it is easier to get help from classmates by forming study groups.

In your first semester (as a first-year student), the only required honors classes are English 2500H, Library 1600, and Honors 1210. After the first semester, honors class requirements depend on each college. As an honors student, you can take as many honors classes as you like and can convert regular courses into honors courses.

To graduate with honors, students must complete a minimum of two honors courses and two honors seminars. Graduation requirements will vary by college. For example, Liberal Arts and Sciences have different requirements than Engineering. Find the honors requirements for each college on the Honors Advisory Program page. In addition, all honors students must complete an honors project before graduation.

As a member of the First-Year Honors Program, you may choose to participate in the First-Year Mentor Program during your spring semester. The mentor program introduces you to research and the research process by matching you with a faculty member doing research in an area of interest to you. You’ll spend three to six hours a week on the research project and receive one or two credits of honors independent study. As a result of this introduction to research, some students have continued to work with the professor's research project and have become a regular part of the research team. The University Honors Program believes this program has the potential to benefit both Iowa State faculty and students by helping first-year honors students become involved in the pursuit of knowledge and scholarship beyond the typical classroom experience. Find details about the First-Year Honors Mentor Program page.

Once a student is accepted to Iowa State University, the University Honors Program will invite students who meet the requirements to apply online. See application details. You may also email the honors program at honors@iastate.edu to request an application. Acceptance into honors is on a rolling basis; the deadline to apply for the First-Year Honors Program is April 1. Applications for current Iowa State University and transfer students applying to honors are typically on the third Friday of each semester.

Please call the University Honors Program office at (515) 294-4371 to request an application. Applications will be reviewed on an individual basis to determine acceptance into honors.

As an honors student, you may apply for any university scholarships for which you are eligible.

Honors housing includes honors houses, which are residence hall floors populated solely by honors students, and honors clusters, which include both honors students and regular students on a floor. In honors clusters, one-half of the floor tends to be honors students. Honors housing tends to be a microcosm of honors itself: you have academic, social, and leadership components in your residential experience. You’re living with students in similar classes (if you’re in the First-Year Honors Program, you will all be taking Honors 1210, Library 1600, and English 2500H), so you have people to study with. Socially, the honors houses and clusters do EVERYTHING together and compete with each other. Each floor has its own traditions and tends to eat together at lunch and dinner. You’ll also have more upper-division students on honors floors because they had a good time during their first year and are back again for another year.

Honors housing is optional, although we recommend it as an enhancement for your honors experience. Barton-Anders, Lyon-Harwood, and Martin-Starbuck houses, as well as the honors clusters (Friley-Lorch Russell and Geoffroy-Ebbers/Day), are excellent places to live, and you’ll be with other honors students. You will receive honors housing information after acceptance into the University Honors Program.

Honors Houses

  • Barton Hall (Anders)
  • Lyon Hall (Harwood)
  • Martin Hall (Starbuck)

Honors Clusters

  • Friley Hall (Lorch-Russell)
  • Geoffroy Hall (Ebbers-Day)

Instructions are available on the reservation form.