Honors Program

We are no longer accepting applications for the fall 2025 cohort.

As an academically talented student, you learn at a different pace. You hold unique interests. You see things differently and ask different questions. Find fulfillment and success in your academic pursuits through Olivet’s Honors Program.

Program Highlights

Cohort program model that fosters a community of scholarship as students and faculty progress together through a sequence of four Honors Program courses
Freshmen- and sophomore-level interdisciplinary classes taught by a dedicated team of faculty experts
Junior and senior research seminars focusing on research methodology specific to student’s discipline
Culmination in the completion of a fully-funded, faculty-mentored, two-year capstone research project
Coursework in the program satisfies four university general education requirements
Enrichment activities including a capstone sophomore Chicago trip at conclusion of coursework
Honors designation on transcript and recognition at graduation
Potential for publication in university honors research journal
High success rate in placing graduates in fully-funded graduate school programs

Application Process

Set up your account and complete the application to Olivet.
Send your high school transcripts or test scores to be admitted to Olivet Nazarene University.
Verify a composite ACT score of 28 or an equivalent SAT score, rank in the top 10% of class (100 minimum students), or have a 3.75 GPA on a 4.0 scale.
Use your account to complete the honors application form and the required essay.
Submit the application and required essay to the Honors Program by July 31, 2025. (We are no longer accepting fall 2025 applications.) Please refer to the essay prompt link for complete instructions.
Participate in a virtual or on-site interview with two faculty members.

To learn more about the Honors Program, contact Dr. Stephen Case, program director, via email or call 815-928-5681.

VIEW ESSAY PROMPT

Detail shot of Burke Administration Building

Honors Journal of Olivet NAzarene University

ELAIA

Available in print and online, the journal features work from the disciplines of the sciences, music, athletics, psychology, astronomy, engineering and more.

From the moment Olivet Honors Program students set foot on campus, they join a community of scholars. Together, in Christian fellowship, they study, learn and grow. In their junior and senior years, students work on a capstone scholarship project with faculty mentors. The results of these projects, presented in this journal, are often life-changing.

Read volumes 5/6 here!

Walking into an Honors Program classroom is simultaneously exhilarating and reassuring.

Abby Flood ’23

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