Honors Program Application Fall 2026

This application is for Fall 2026 enrollment. Open date: November 1, 2026. All submissions must received by midnight on January 31, 2026 for Prioirty Enrollment.

Honors Program Mission

The UVU Honors Program enhances the collegiate experience of highly motivated students through specialized academic and enrichment opportunities that cultivate personal, professional, and civic engagement. Please visit www.uvu.edu/honors for additional Honors Program information.

Please have ready the following:

a prepared admission essay (see prompts below) and any required images specified in the prompt
a robust list of your accomplishments, awards, and/or leadership, artistic, athletic, work, or volunteer experiences
ACT or SAT scores (if applicable, typically only for students coming directly from high school)
high school transcripts (for students coming directly from high school)
college transcripts (if applicable)
for help with this form, please call 801-863-6262

Applicants must prepare one response to a selected prompt. Applicants will be asked to attest that all the work submitted was prepared by them without the assistance of generative artificial intelligence, such as ChatGPT or other machine learning tools.

The required section on notable activities, accomplishments, and awards is crucial to your application. We welcome evidence of your accomplishments in any of the following areas: academics, leadership, athletics, arts (visual and/or performing), community service or involvement, employment, and any other areas you feel display your drive, focus, and capability.

Application Prompt Instructions:

The UVU Honors Program seeks students who are creative, reflective, and capable of thinking beyond traditional boundaries. We want to know who you are, what motivates you, and how you think. To help us see beyond your grades and accomplishments, we ask you to engage in composing an innovative response to one of our prompts.

Your response will be evaluated on the focus, originality, and creativity of the content, spelling, grammar, and punctuation matter, too.

We are seeking students who display evidence of curiosity, innovative thinking, and potential for intellectual and personal growth.

DO:

Draw on your best qualities as a writer and thinker
Strive to be an effective storyteller
Take some risks and have fun
Have someone with experience proofread your writing
Carefully remove typos, clichéd phrasing, and unclear ideas

DON’T:

Let anyone erase your unique voice
Share your darkest thoughts, experiences, fears, or desires
Preach or lecture
Plagiarize or use generative AI like ChatGPT to prepare your responses

Essay responses are limited to 300-400 words.

Prompts:

Choose ONE:

Curiositas: Curiosity

French novelist Marcel Proust explores a powerful reaction to the taste of a madeleine (a small cake) that called forth a rush of memories from his childhood. Is there a food in your life or in the lives of those around you that carries important cultural meaning? What is involved in this connection? What meaning could you attribute to it that reaches beyond your individual experience? Be bold and speculative in thinking about what that food connection might embody. In the body of your essay, please include a photo of you or another person you know with the food item. Use this prompt to help us understand your potential as a person with curiosity.

Cognito: Thoughtfulness

Poet Walt Whitman once wrote, “Do I contradict myself? Very well, then, I contradict myself. (I am large, I contain multitudes).” What contradictions do you contain? Be specific and ensure you draw from your personal experiences. In the body of your essay, please include a photo of you that embodies this contradiction. Use this prompt to help us understand your potential as a person who embraces flexible and expansive thinking.

Diligentia: Effort

Amelia Earhart, the first woman to fly over the Atlantic, said: “Some of us have great runways already built for us. If you have one, take off. But if you don't have one, realize it is your responsibility to grab a shovel and build one for yourself and for those who will follow after you.” What are your plans for building a runway for yourself and others, and where are you headed once the path has been paved? In the body of your essay, please include a photo of you that shows where you might be headed with this imagined runway. Use this prompt to help us understand your potential to make an impact through the hard work of changemaking.

Create your submission: Compose and revise your 300-word response.
Submit your response as a PDF: After completing the response, attach it as a PDF to your application.

Start