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The Towson University Honors College provides students the opportunity to think big ideas, pursue deep inquiry, and discover how innovation leads to achievement through a challenging curriculum which meets the unique academic needs and interests of Honors students. Honors students explore their interests and cultivate their talents through a distinct blend of academic and co-curricular activities supported by a community of motivated students and faculty. Honors students have the opportunity to live and learn in a residential environment while pursuing internship, leadership, research, and service opportunities, and they strive to make the world a better place.
Students are encouraged to complete Honors work that includes co-curricular activities
such as leadership workshops, service-learning experiences, and civic engagement.
Honors students participate in a flexible curriculum.
An engaged community of scholars is a defining characteristic of the Honors experience. We emphasize leadership development, social and civic engagement activities, and programs that build meaningful relationships in and out of the classroom.
To foster that sense of community at the residential level on campus, all incoming Honors College students who choose to live on campus are placed in Frederick Douglass House. One of Towson University's residence halls in West Village, Douglass House is the Honors College Living Learning Community, created in partnership with the Department of Housing & Residence Life. The benefits of Honors housing are many and include the possibility of classes taught within Douglass House, access to a book exchange, and specific move-in dates at the start of fall term.
Honors College faculty work closely with students to design and to complete their Honors curriculum. Freshmen work with designated First-Year Experience advisers with Honors expertise in colleges and departments who help students make curriculum decisions that address their interests and needs, and beginning sophomore year students work with Honors advisers housed within the Honors College in addition to their major advisors. Honors advisers can also provide advice on career preparation, personal and leadership development, and undergraduate research opportunities.
Continuing students in the Honors College receive priority course registration, thus avoiding many scheduling conflicts. Honors priority registration occurs before the ordinary registration period for continuing students, so even Honors freshmen register for courses before most TU seniors who are not in the Honors College.
The primary award associated with the Honors College is the Honors College Scholarship. All incoming freshman and transfer students joining TU in the fall term will be automatically considered for this scholarship in the amount of $1,250. The Honors College Scholarship is usually offered in addition to any other scholarships a student may have been awarded by Towson University, and it is an annual award which may only be applied towards educational expenses for full-time fall and spring term undergraduate enrollment at TU. Scholarships may be received for a maximum of eight consecutive terms if entering as a freshman, or up to seven consecutive terms if entering as a transfer student, based on number of completed college credits at the time of entry.
In addition, Honors students are eligible for other Honors-only financial support such as the Honorables of Color Scholarship for students who support marginalized communities and the Honors College Study Abroad Award to pursue study abroad experiences.
Current number of Honors College students, and we're still growing.
Portion of Honors College students who graduate in four years or fewer.
Percentage of Honors College graduates who undertake experiential and advanced learning.
All applicants to the Honors College must submit the following:
All applicants to TU submit the following material, which are also used in Honors decisions:
Applicants to the Honors College have the option to submit the following for consideration:
The Honors College application's prompts for the essay and letter of recommendation for spring and fall 2026 admission are listed below.
Please attach an essay, 500–750 words in length, that answers all parts of one of the prompts listed below:
Students may have an optional letter of recommendation from a teacher in a major subject area included in their Honors consideration. For some students, letters of recommendation can help us better understand what drives you, explain circumstances that have had a distinct effect on your studies, or otherwise provide a fuller picture of the applicant. Should you choose to request a letter, your recommender is encouraged to consider the following questions:
Your letter may be uploaded through the TU application, sent to TU via Naviance, or your recommender may send it directly to admissions@towson.edu.