High School Admissions
The Honors College is home to a culturally vibrant group of high-achieving students with varied and multiple academic interests who hail from around the country and world.
A completed first-year application to Michigan State University is all that is required for Honors College consideration. Students are automatically reviewed for an Honors College invitation six to eight weeks after receiving admission to the university. There is no separate application process.
For best Honors College and scholarship consideration, interested students are encouraged to apply to MSU by mid-October of their senior year.
Table of Contents
- Visit the Honors College
- Prospective Student Programs
- Invited Student Profile
- Sending Additional Information for Consideration
- Honors Housing
- First-Generation Student Resources
- First-Year Scholarships
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Contact the Admissions Staff
Invited Student Profile
Honors College invitees tend to share these characteristics:
- GPA or class rank that places students within the top 5% in their class
- A high number of rigorous AP, IB, or dual enrollment courses within the context of what a student’s school provides
- Community service involvement and research interests
- Average scores of 1450 SAT or 32 ACT
Standardized test scores are not required to be considered for an Honors College invitation. Students may decide when applying to the university whether or not to have their standardized test scores considered.
The Honors College may also request additional information, such as seventh semester grades, before extending an invitation to membership.
Sending Additional Information for Consideration
If you have not heard from the Honors College, it has been eight weeks since your admission to the university, and you have exhibited a commitment to intellectual curiosity and academic rigor, you may submit an additional essay based on the prompt below and arrange to send your most current grades to receive further consideration.
Prompt: For roughly 70 years, the Honors College has valued academic flexibility and innovative approaches to learning. Please tell us about an experience that shows how you have approached your high school career in a unique way.
- Submit your essay to honors@msu.edu and include your name and MSU Applicant Number. Essays must be in either .pdf or .doc/docx formats and attached directly to the e-mail message. There is no length requirement.
- Arrange for your high school counselor to send a copy of your most recent senior year high school transcript (seventh semester/first semester/first trimester) to the university directly, through Parchment, or via e-mail to honors@msu.edu.
- Wait approximately six to eight weeks for review. Admissions staff may also be in touch for a short conversation as part of our process. The Honors College reserves the right to close admissions at any time.
All materials must be submitted no later than Monday, February 16, 2026.
Note: We typically begin reviews of international students who attend school outside of the United States starting in January. If you meet this criteria and have not heard from us by the end of February, you can submit additional materials in March no later than March 16, 2026.
Visit the Honors College
The Honors College admissions staff welcomes prospective high school students and their families to plan a personalized campus visit at any point during their college search process. To allow our staff to serve you best, please submit any visit requests at least seven days in advance of your preferred visit date.
Please complete the Honors College Visit Form to submit a request or visit during one of our fall prospective programs.
Make sure that you also consider the following when making a trip to MSU:
- Schedule a campus tour (Don’t forget to schedule your Honors College visit in addition to the university presentation and tour)
- Take a look at campus maps and directions
- Consider local accommodations if needed
- Find time to explore East Lansing
- Contact Honors College admissions staff if you have any questions about your visit
If you would prefer to schedule a time to chat virtually with a member of our admissions team, please use this booking form.
Prospective Student Programs
Join us for one of our upcoming in-person or virtual programs or view a previously recorded program uploaded to our YouTube channel.
Honors College admissions staff offer a variety of in-person and virtual programs throughout the year for prospective high school students and their families to learn more about our program and the various opportunities available to high-achieving students here at MSU.
Fall 2025 Information Sessions
Honors College information sessions are to be announced.
The MSU Office of Admissions also offers a variety of in-person and virtual programs and resources. Please visit their website to learn more about what it’s like to be on campus as a Spartan.
Honors Housing
All Honors College students can choose to live on an Honors floor in one of eight residence halls across campus. A renovated Campbell Hall reopened August 2025 as the Honors College’s first living-learning community with resources and amenities for the all Honors College members.
Click here for a 360-degree digital tour of a Campbell Hall living space.
Honors housing is:
- An opportunity for building a community with similar and varied academic interests
- Supported organization for group-community service, special events, and trips
- Optional and deciding not to live on the Honors floor will not have any impact on a student’s Honors College membership.
As an incoming Honors College student in a living-learning program (Lyman Briggs, James Madison, Business, etc.), you will be placed in your living-learning Program. You may still request Honors housing within your living-learning program, if available.
There is no separate application process. All high school students who apply and are admitted to Michigan State University in the fall semester of their senior year are considered for an Honors College invitation, generally six to eight weeks after admission to the university. Students who are incoming first-year students or transfer students can be considered separately through our Campus Admissions process after completion of their first fall semester.
We do not have a minimum or specific GPA or test score – our average test scores among students who submitted SAT/ACT scores in 2023 was a 1450 SAT and 32 ACT. Admitted MSU students are reviewed holistically based on the factors outlined within our Invited Student Profile.
We recommend applying to MSU early action in the fall of your senior year by November 1 for best Honors College and scholarship consideration.
Typically, we invite students to the Honors College within six to eight weeks following admission to MSU. If a student does not hear from us, we recommend reaching out via e-mail to honors@msu.edu for more information. Students who do not hear from us are encouraged to send additional materials for review in their senior year – our deadline for receiving additional materials are typically in mid-February for domestic students and in March for international students.
Yes. All first-year students who are not already incoming Honors College students can be reviewed again for an Honors College invitation after the conclusion of their first semester on campus. Please visit our Campus Admissions page for more details on our process.
No. Students that are members of the Honors College at MSU can pursue any of the university’s 200+ undergraduate academic programs, or any combination of those programs. Students may also belong to one of MSU’s three residential colleges: Lyman Briggs College, James Madison College, or the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities (RCAH).
The Academic Scholars Program (ASP) is a unique opportunity that provides high-achieving students a pathway towards Honors College membership. While ASP is administered and advised in the Honors College, membership is separate. Most students who complete the ASP program join the Honors College after their first year.
No – your response to our Honors College invitation is non-binding and can be declined if you are not interested in Honors College membership. All prospective students admitted to Michigan State University have until May 1 of their senior year to make their final college choice, and those invited to the Honors College must also respond to their HC invitation by that date.
The housing sign-up process for incoming students takes place each year during the summer prior to the fall semester. Once students have paid their enrollment deposit and signed a housing contract, specific instructions and details will be communicated after May 1. Please note Honors housing is optional.
No. All students receiving merit aid scholarships from the Honors College must accept their Honors College invitation by May 1 of their senior year (and remain in good academic standing while at MSU) to receive the awards.
