Honors Eligibility and Status
Students who are enrolled in the honors program in the Fisher College of Business have the opportunity to enrich their program of study through honors or upper division General Education Curriculum course work, to apply for special honors programs in Fisher College, to participate in programming that is offered through the Honors & Scholars Center, and to apply for honors housing. In addition, honors students receive priority scheduling.
Having honors enrollment does not entitle students to receive College honors at graduation. Honors students have the option of applying for and participating in a Fisher Honors Program or an Honors Research Distinction project that each provides the opportunity to graduate with a diploma designation. The programs are designed to provide a range of experiences from which to choose. These opportunities are the only avenues to graduate with College honors at graduation.
Honors Eligibility - University Honors
Incoming first-year students can apply for the University Honors Program prior to starting at The Ohio State University. Interested students must check the box on the Common App and complete the supplemental application to apply for honors.
First-year students interested in honors must complete 12 graded hours of course work at Ohio State, have a cumulative GPA of 3.75, and have an interest in taking honors course work. Eligible students will receive an invitation (by email) and will be required to complete a Fisher College of Business Application for University Honors. Students are only invited once. Applications occur once a year in the spring semester.
Transfer students (new to OSU) need 12 graded hours of course work at OSU, a 3.75 cumulative GPA, and no more than 60 earned hours to be eligible for honors. Eligible students will receive an invitation (by email) and will be required to complete a Fisher College of Business Application for University Honors. Students are only invited once. Applications occur once a year in the spring semester.
Current OSU students (with honors enrollment) who transfer into Fisher College of Business from other academic units will be evaluated at entry to determine eligibility for honors in Fisher College. The same criteria for maintaining honors enrollment (see below) pertain to these students. Students who meet the requirements for honors should schedule an appointment with an honors advisor to learn about honors opportunities in Fisher College.
University Honors Information Sessions 2025
Students who earn a 3.75 or higher GPA after their first semester will be automatically invited to apply to University Honors for their second year. Invitations will go out via email by January 8, 2025.
If you are invited to apply to University Honors for the 2025-2026 academic year, you must attend one of the below information sessions to complete your application:
- Thursday, January 9th from 2:00-3:00 PM in Mason Rotunda (2nd Floor)
- Friday, January 10th on Zoom from 3:00-4:00 PM (email FCOB-Honors@osu.edu for zoom link)
- Wednesday, January 15th from 9:00-10:00 AM in Mason Rotunda (2nd Floor)
Maintaining Honors Enrollment
In order to maintain honors enrollment, students admitted Summer 2024 and prior must meet the following criteria:
- Earn a 3.5 cumulative GPA.
- Complete a minimum of 9 credit hours of honors or upper-division enrichment courses in each year of enrollment during the first and second years. Students must enroll in at least one honors course per semester.
- Be admitted to a Fisher Honors Program or submit a completed application for an Honors Distinction Research Project by the end of the junior year.
In order to maintain honors enrollment, students must meet the following criteria beginning Autumn 2024:
- Earn a 3.5 cumulative GPA.
- Complete a minimum of 6 credit hours of honors or upper-division enrichment courses in each year of enrollment during the first and second years. Students must enroll in at least one honors course per semester.
- Be admitted to a Fisher Honors Program or submit a completed application for an Honors Distinction Research Project by the end of the junior year.
Upper-division enrichment courses are defined as 4000 and 5000 level Courses. Upper-division business core courses are not considered upper-division for the purposes of maintaining honors status, since these upper-division courses are taken by all business students (honors and non-honors).
Reviews of academic records are conducted each summer term to confirm that students meet the criteria.
Need help finding an honors course? See approved list.
View a list of accepted courses
Questions about finding an honors course? Reach out to an honors advisor - FCOB-honors@osu.edu.