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Application Closed
The Honors College application is closed. Our application will reopen in August for mid-year applications (Winter and Spring Quarter 2026), and Fall 2026.
Please email honors@wwu.edu if you have any questions.
Honors College Admissions
Admission to WWU Honors is completed through a supplemental application process.
Competitive Honors applicants clearly demonstrate a passion for challenging themselves in the classroom. All applications completed by the regular deadline will be thoroughly reviewed, and applications completed by the priority deadline will receive priority consideration.
The Honors College uses rolling admissions to evaluate and admit students as applications are received. While uncommon, we may fill our cohort prior to the regular admissions deadline, so it is advised to apply early.
Prospective Western Students
PROSPECTIVE Western students are individuals who are not yet enrolled in classes at Western at the time they apply.
- Apply to Western. Students can access the Honors College application AFTER they submit their general Western application. The Common App takes 24 hours after submission to appear in our system.
- Complete the Honors College supplemental application. The login will be the same account you used to submit your WWU application.
Current Western Students
CURRENT Western students are individuals who are actively enrolled in classes at Western at the time they apply.
The Honors College accepts applications from current WWU students for Winter and Spring Quarters only. Applicants must submit a letter of recommendation, preferably from a WWU faculty member.
- (Recommended) Connect with an Honors Academic Advisor.
- Complete the Current Western Student Application.
Application
The majority of Honors students apply to start Fall Quarter of their first year at Western. We accept applications from high school students (including direct transfer (DTA) Running Start students), transfer students from other colleges and universities, and current WWU students.
Attention!
To prevent the Honors College application portal from automatically timing out during your submission process, it is highly encouraged to have all of your application materials prepared prior to opening your application portal.
Deadlines
Priority Deadline: December 10, 2025, at 11:59 PM (Pacific Time).
All on-time, complete applications received by the priority deadline will be reviewed for a final decision or rolled into regular admissions review by early February.
Regular Deadline: February 10, 2026, at 11:59 PM (Pacific Time).
All on-time, complete applications will receive a final decision no later than early April.
TRANSFER Regular Deadline: March 10th, 2026, at 11:59 PM
You are considered a transfer student if you have attempted college credit after graduating from high school or earning your GED.
If you earned college credit while still completing high school requirements, such as through the Running Start program, you will be considered a first-year student for admission purposes and must follow the first-year application requirements and deadlines.
Regular Deadline: December 5, 2025, at 11:59 PM (Pacific Time).
Regular Deadline: March 13, 2026, at 11:59 PM (Pacific Time).
Application Materials
Submit a personal essay, answering both of the below prompts in a single document.
This may be written as a single essay, in which the word count does not exceed 600 words. Or you may answer the prompts separately (but in the same document) keeping to a 300-word limit per prompt.
- At WWU Honors, our motto is: “We cultivate community by striving compassionately for knowledge.” Please reflect on what you would bring to building the WWU Honors community, thinking both about your lived experiences so far and about your aspirations for your time at WWU.
- The Honors College curriculum is a combination of interdisciplinary study and disciplinary study, exploring both the questions different academic fields ask and how to bring a variety of subjects into conversation with one another. Our courses are all small, seminar-style and discussion-based, and the core sequence unites around questions like the nature of justice, power, and love; the processes by which humans make decisions and determine values; and the relationships between individuals and the communities they inhabit. Please reflect on how you see these types of discussions contributing to both your college experience and your future goals.
Submit a sample of what you consider your strongest analytical academic writing.
The Honors College is interested in a student's ability to analyze complex issues, engage with texts, and construct a clear, well-reasoned argument based on well-selected supporting evidence. The writing sample should be an academic paper you have already written that best demonstrates those analytical and argumentative skills. Please submit your original, ungraded work without revisions or updates. There is no minimum nor maximum length for the writing sample, and you may choose a piece of work in any academic subject.
For incoming first-year or Running Start students, letters of recommendation from a teacher or counselor are highly recommended but not required.
For transfer or current WWU students, letters of recommendation from a faculty member are required.
The Honors admissions team has access to and will review all materials you submit to WWU - including letters of recommendation submitted with your general admissions application. With that in mind, it is more beneficial for you to submit different letters of recommendation than the ones you have already sent to WWU.
Letters of recommendation can also be submitted by emailing them to honors@wwu.edu.