Applying for Current Students

If you are a current student at Iona University who did not enter as a student in the Honors Program, you are still welcome to join the program!

Students joining the program must complete the entire Honors Core Curriculum. Classes taken to fulfill the General Core Curriculum will not fulfill the Honors requirements.

Application Criteria

• Current student in excellent standing at Iona University, with a minimum 15 credits completed at the time of application
• GPA of 3.5 or higher is required
• Dedication to the mission of the Iona University Honors Program and the University
• Ability to contribute positively to the Iona University Honors Program and the University

How to Apply

All application materials should be submitted to Thomas J. Moretti, Ph.D., interim director of the Iona University Honors Program, by the required deadlines:

• Spring deadline: Second Monday in January
• Fall deadline: Second Monday in August.

Application Materials

Applications for admissions into the Honors Program must include the following to be considered complete. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

• Completed and signed application cover sheet (staple the signed application cover sheet to the front of your application material)
• Official Iona University transcript
• ACT or SAT scores
• Cover letter addressed to the Honors Program Director.
  • The letter must be approximately 300-500 words. It must explain what you hope to bring to the Honors Program and why you wish to join it.
• A 300-500 word essay reflecting on the significance of intellectual curiosity, its connections to civic and ethical responsibilities, and its relevance to your participation in the Honors program.
  • The Iona University Honors Program mission statement is to “develop intellectual curiosity... and awareness of ethical and civil responsibilities.” Foucault suggests that... “it (curiosity) evokes ‘concern;’ it evokes the care one takes for what exists and could exist; a readiness to find strange and singular what surrounds us... a fervor to grasp what is happening and what passes...” (Foucault, 1980). Your essay should reflect on these issues.
• Two letters of recommendation on letterhead – one must be from an Iona University faculty member.
  • Letters must be sealed and sent directly from the recommender to the Honors Program Director by mail, inter-office mail or email. Students may submit these letters with their applications only if they are in a sealed and signed envelope.

Selection Process

Upon review of completed applications, interviews will be scheduled for qualified students.

Although applicants may be qualified for the program, acceptance depends in part on the number of students currently in the program and the amount of space for new students to enter.