Honors Programs

Honors by School

• The School of Arts and Sciences Honors Program fosters a strong sense of community and leadership for honors students at Rutgers–New Brunswick's largest school. Students from the humanities, social and behavioral sciences, life sciences, and mathematical and physical sciences partake in a wide range of special course offerings as well as engaging cultural, social, and co-curricular activities, including mentored research and unique travel abroad opportunities. The program also serves honors students from Rutgers Business School: Undergraduate–New Brunswick.
• The School of Environmental and Biological Sciences Honors Program is a selective program that enables students to work in a small vibrant community studying life sciences and agricultural sciences as part of the land-grant school at Rutgers University. Its curriculum focuses on research tutorials set in the laboratory or the field.
• The School of Engineering Honors Academy challenges, inspires, and sustains a community of highly self-motivated engineering students. Its curriculum and programs feature honors coursework in foundational classes, frequent opportunities to interact with leading alumni and to visit cutting-edge facilities, and extensive support for research.

Students applying to Rutgers–New Brunswick by December 1 are automatically considered for the above programs. Students can be members of a school-based honors program or the Honors College, but not both. Students in Douglass Residential College are eligible to be members of the Honors College or a school-based honors program.

Departmental Honors and Honors Research Programs 

In addition to the school-based programs and the Honors College, many academic departments have designed honors research or thesis opportunities.

• School of Arts and Sciences Senior Honors thesis
• Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy PharmD Honors Research Program
• School of Environmental and Biological Sciences George H. Cook Scholars Program 
• School of Engineering James J. Slade Scholars Program for upper-level students

While independent of the school-based honors programs and the Honors College, these academic programs work closely together with them to provide honors students with advanced research opportunities in the latter part of their undergraduate careers.

Honors Housing

In honors housing, you’ll live with other students who share your passion for learning, gain tips and insights into Rutgers from upper-level students, and participate in special programs, trips, and events.

• All first-year Honors College students are required to live in the Honors College facility on the College Avenue campus. After the first year, Honors College students have the option to reside in honors housing communities across the five New Brunswick campuses.
• The School of Arts and Sciences Honors Program offers honors students four different residential options, including residence halls on the College Avenue, Busch, Douglass, and Livingston campuses.
• Students in the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences Honors Program have the option of living with other honors students on a designated floor of Nicholas Hall on the G.H. Cook campus.
• Incoming members of the School of Engineering have the opportunity to live in a first-year engineering residence hall on Busch campus. A special section of the engineering community is also designated as a School of Engineering honors floor.