What is the Honors Program at RIT?

While you might not have heard of it during your research of RIT, there is a thriving Honors Program on RIT’s campus! You are automatically considered for the program upon enrolling to the school. Only the top candidates are accepted into the program from this step, and you will receive extra communications along with your general acceptance letter to RIT if you are admitted to the Honors program as well. The Honors Program at RIT encompasses all majors and constitutes a little less than 5% of the total student population. Don’t worry though, if you’re not automatically accepted during your application to RIT as a whole, you can still receive an invitation as a current student as long as you meet high academic criteria. You would be considered an Internal Admit in this instance. Being a member of the Honors Program doesn’t mean that you do more tedious work to receive a star on your diploma, but that you complete the same work in a different way.

I can attest to that mission statement as someone who was accepted into the Honors Program along with my general admission to RIT. Participating in the program and meeting people who are similarly strong in academics and like-minded has been refreshing and exhilarating. I was able to connect more profoundly with my Honors peers during social events than with other people from my classes. There are a handful of requirements necessary to remain a member of the program throughout your undergraduate career, bulleted below for your convenience:

•  3.2 cumulative GPA during your first year and increasing by 0.1 every year until your graduation, with a minimum of 3.5
• 70 hours of complimentary learning over 4 years
  • 20 hours per year until you reach 60
• 15 Honors Points
  • Must obtain at least 1 point per year
  • Need to complete Honors in the Discipline

The GPA requirement exists because you are understood to be a capable student already, but with some leniency for you to adjust to college life. However, complimentary learning requires more explaining.

Complimentary learning is the general term for learning that occurs outside of the classroom. This is distinctly different from community service because it encompasses more than just volunteering. Volunteering is something that does count, but also attending No Voice Zone, the Fram Lecture series, and leadership positions such as e-board roles, resident assistants, or being an orientation leader count as well. The requirement is designed to push you into environments that you otherwise would not have naturally found yourself in. This expands your comfort zone and allows you to learn about other cultures and skills outside of the classroom space.

I have volunteered to be an Honors Orientation mentor for the past two years, and it has been one of the most significant growth opportunities I have had while attending RIT. It was the first leadership position I had taken, and I was expected to direct incoming first-year students only a couple years younger than myself. I mentally prepared to present my best speaking voice while walking into the gym at the Student Life Center before 8 a.m. on a Friday to greet my students. I never thought I had the social capacity to occupy such a leadership position, but I surprised myself that day! And I only continued to grow from there, becoming more confident every time I had to direct my students to the next activity. I enjoyed it so much that I volunteered to be an orientation mentor a second time, with plans of doing it for a third time next summer! I earned 15 hours of complementary learning each time I participated as an Honors orientation leader.

At the end of the fall 2024 semester, the Honors office arranged a meeting with Rochester mayor Malik Evans to discuss leadership in the 21st century. I registered to attend with a group of other Honors students, and we were granted the opportunity to sit down around a conference table and listen to his insights. Every student within the meeting came prepared with at least one question to ask the mayor; as we continued to ask questions, a natural conversation began to flow. I was impressed by the clarity and brevity of the mayor’s speech, and he shared numerous pieces of advice for us budding students. The advice that left the biggest impression on me is that effective leadership is immensely creative and always searching for new ways to innovate. Leadership, according to the mayor, is hardly ever about exercising raw power, but rather the ability to communicate to your constituents (or colleagues) and unite them around a common issue with innovative solutions.

Honors points are a unique currency that are equivalent to course credits. You need to complete 15 credits of honors-level work before finishing your undergraduate program, with a minimum of at least 1 point per year. Honors points can be obtained through completing Honors courses, extra co-op blocks outside of the requirements in your program, passing graduate courses, or completing research after your third year. Honors in the Discipline refers to completing honors-level work that’s correlated to your major in some form. I currently have 10 points, and as a civil engineer, I plan on reaching out to professors of graduate-level construction management courses to fulfill that requirement.

I have grown tremendously as a student, person, and leader through participating in the Honors Program. All the hard work in high school paid off in the form of distinctive, valuable opportunities such as becoming an orientation mentor for fellow Honors students and discussing leadership with the mayor. I encourage everyone to earn and maintain excellent grades and form connections with your professors; it will quickly get you noticed and on the radar of the Honors Program. Before you know it, you will become a member of the Honors program too!

More questions? RIT Honors Program has a great FAQ page.