Admission in the Honors Program

There are two paths for students interesting in joining the Strain Honors College at the University of Indianapolis, through incoming student admission or petition to join the program.

Incoming Student Admission

Students applying to the University of Indianapolis may receive an invitation to apply to the Strain Honors College based on their high school academic performance and the recommendation of a UIndy admissions counselor. It is important to note that any entering student may apply to join the Strain Honors College. For more information on applying, please contact Emily Hancock, Director of Admissions, at hancockem@uindy.edu. Students who apply to Honors will need to respond to two short-answer questions. Acceptance to the Honors College is determined by a variety of factors, including but not limited to high school grade point average, rigor of coursework, and response to short-answer questions. Students from underrepresented populations are both welcomed and encouraged to apply. Admission is granted on a rolling basis.

Petition to Join the Strain Honors College

Students who did not receive an initial invitation to join the Strain Honors College in the summer before their first year may petition to join. Such petitioners should be students in good standing with a college GPA of 3.3 or higher. To join, schedule a meeting with the Honors Director. If you are still interested in joining honors after this meeting, you will receive preliminary honors status with the eligibility to join honors classes. After you have successfully completed your first honors class with a grade of B or higher and maintain the GPA threshold of 3.3, you will no longer be on preliminary status but a full Honors student with all the rights and privileges that affords. If in taking your first honors class(es), you fail to make a B or higher in your honors class or fail to maintain the 3.3 GPA, your preliminary status will be revoked and your membership in Honors will cease.

Research Fellows Program

The focus of the Research Fellows program is to engage promising undergraduate students in research experiences during their first two years at the University of Indianapolis. This is primarily accomplished through a paid research assistantship with a Faculty Mentor performing research in the Fellow’s college or school of interest. Fellows, along with their Mentors, decide on a research project that the students begin working on in their first year and continue into their sophomore year. At the end of their sophomore year students report out about their research in a formal presentation, such as the Scholars’ Showcase at UIndy. Upon completion of the program, Fellows are encouraged to continue working on an independent research project in their field of interest during their junior and senior years. Some students choose to do this through the Strain Honors College, while others elect to continue their research through departmental research hours.

Research Fellowships are offered to incoming, full-time freshman seeking a degree program under any college or school at the University of Indianapolis. After the Office of Admissions has established the “distinguished admission” pool for the incoming freshmen class, select students, as determined by the Office of Admissions and the Research Fellow Coordinator, will receive invitations to apply for the program. Successful applicants will be named to the Research Fellows programs and are awarded $750 per semester for the two-year program. Faculty mentors receive $500 in their personal development fund for each student they are mentoring. Continuation in the Research Fellows program is evaluated each semester, based on student interest, as well as Faculty Mentor input. Fellows will be evaluated based in part on the guidelines in the Research Fellows General Guidelines and Expectations document.

Along with the research assistantship, Research Fellows are enrolled in a one-hour Research Colloquium course during the first year of the program. Additionally, all Research Fellows are invited to join the Strain Honors College. Over the course of the two years of the program, students are introduced to the culture of scholarship through the Research Colloquium and through opportunities to attend workshops and professional conferences. Limited funds for travel and conference expenses may be available to student participants. Interested individuals can follow up with the Research Fellows Coordinator for additional information.