Admissions
To apply to the Honors Program, incoming freshmen, current UNM students or transfer students must fill out an application and submit unofficial transcripts. Transfer or current UNM students should ideally apply to the Program by the end of their sophomore year.
Qualifications Required to Enter the Honors Program
Incoming Freshmen Applicants (High School Seniors):
- Unofficial high school transcript showing a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher; or
- ACT cumulative test score of 29 (or higher) or SAT score of 1860 (or higher);
Transfer or current UNM Student Applicants:
- Unofficial college/university transcript showing a cumulative GPA of 3.20 or higher; and
- Have completed English 101 or its equivalent
High school applicants with scores at or below a 3.40 GPA/26 ACT/1760 SAT and college applicants with a GPA at or below 3.0 must also include a 1-page personal essay.
The 1-page essay should be about you, your goals, and your interest in the Honors Program. Special consideration is given to essays which demonstrate community/academic involvement and strong written communication.
Deadlines
When to apply depends largely on when students will start at UNM or will start taking Honors seminars. The Honors Office will send notifications of acceptance soon after these deadlines.
Start in a Fall Semester:
- April 30: College applicants (current UNM or transfer students)
- May 31: High school and all other applicants (incoming freshmen starting UNM in the Fall semester)
Start in a Spring Semester:
- December 31: All applicants
For best consideration, transfer students and current UNM students (2nd semester freshmen and above) with a cumulative GPA have the option to apply early by November 30th to begin Honors in the Spring semester.
Whenever deadlines fall on a weekend or a holiday, materials are due by the following Monday.
Deferring Applications
Students with scores below the minimums are encouraged to defer their applications for one semester. As an entering freshperson, wait one semester, get a feel for the UNM course loads, apply in your second semester. You've got some time to consider the Program.
