Towson University provides funding opportunities specific to members of the Honors College. The primary award is the Honors College Scholarship, which is awarded to most incoming freshman and transfer students joining TU and Honors in the fall. Incoming Honors students are eligible for the Honorables of Color Scholarship for students who support marginalized communities, and all Honors students are eligible for an Honors Study Abroad Scholarship to support study abroad experiences and the Kalodner Service Learning Scholarship to support service-learning at any point during their studies.
Honors College Scholarship awards are offered at the time of admission to the Honors College and are not increased in value from the offer made at the time of admission. The amount of your scholarship is provided in your financial aid package, and you must submit the Admissions Enrollment Contract by May 1, or by the deadline specified in your Towson University admissions letter, in order to receive the scholarship offered. The Honors College Scholarship is renewable for the period specified in your scholarship letter if you satisfy all conditions, listed in the next section.
Most incoming fall freshmen and transfer students will receive an Honors College Scholarship in the amount of $1,250. Students joining the Honors College in the spring term are not eligible for the Honors College Scholarship.
Honors College Scholarship awards recipients are identified by the Honors College, and the disbursement of awards is overseen by the Financial Aid Office. If you have any questions regarding your scholarship disbursement, posting dates, or maintaining eligibility, please contact the Financial Aid Office.
All Honors College Scholarship awards are determined at a student's time of entry to the Honors College. Some students are not eligible for Honors College Scholarships based on their term of entry to the Honors College and to TU. When an admitted student receives an Honors College Scholarship, the award name, amount, and length of eligibility, as well as scholarship terms and conditions, are identified in the decision letter. If you are an admitted student and your decision letter does not mention an Honors College Scholarship term and amount, you are not eligible for this award.
These Honors College Scholarship renewal criteria are slightly different than the criteria for remaining in the Honors College.
To graduate as an Honors College student with the distinction of University Scholar, you must complete your degree with a 3.3 cumulative GPA and a cumulative 3.0 GPA in all courses taken to fulfill Honors College credit.
The Financial Aid Office, Scholarship Unit reviews renewal conditions twice per year in January and June based on your academic record at that time. If you fail to meet any of these renewal conditions, your awards will be canceled, unless you meet the probation conditions in the Financial Aid Office Scholarship Conditions. For more information about the cancellation process, probation conditions, and appeals process, please visit that web page.
The Honorables of Color Scholarship was initiated by the student-found and led organization of the same name, Honorables of Color. The scholarship is open to new students accepted and enrolled in Towson University’s Honors College who support marginalized communities. All applicants are required to meet the following minimum eligibility criteria:
Supplemental questions and the application for the Honorables of Color Scholarship are available by searching for "Honorables of Color Scholarship" at the TU Foundation Scholarship Opportunities Homepage. The application process for this award opens during the spring term.
The Honors College offers a limited number of scholarships for Honors students going abroad each term. For the fall and spring terms, two scholarships in the amount of $300 each are generally awarded to students. For the summer and minimester terms, three awards in the amount of $200 each are generally awarded.
For scholarship consideration, students must submit the Study Abroad Scholarship Application by November 1 for minimester and spring trips, and by April 1 for summer or fall trips.
Preference for Honors College Study Abroad Scholarships is given to students who have demonstrated their active participation and service in the Honors College, and who can clearly articulate the connection between the study abroad experience and their academic experience at TU. Honors College Study Abroad Scholarship amounts may change based on number of applicants for a given term.
The Cynthia R. Kalodner Honors College Service Learning Scholarship is a $1,000 award designed to provide scholarship support for an Honors student involved in service activity either inside the Honors College curriculum or in another substantive way.
Applicants for the scholarship must meet the following criteria of eligibility:
Special consideration will be given to students undertaking a service-learning course or project that involves additional expense for the student, such as when a project occurs in another country. In addition, and especially when applicants may be working on the same project, the scholarship committee may consider the level of the student’s commitment to the project and ability to articulate its purposes, and the record of the applicant in the Honors College.
The Honors College hopes to offer the Kalodner Scholarship again in the 2022-23 academic year.