Honors at FDU
Application deadlines for fall 2026 incoming first-year students and transfer students:
- Early decision: November 1, 2025
- Regular decision: February 1, 2026
Mission Statement
The mission of the University Honors Program aligns with that of Fairleigh Dickinson University:
The University Honors Program engages high-achieving students through a multidisciplinary curriculum and supportive community that promote academic excellence, collective and individualized learning, and world citizenship and sustainability. We support our students in meeting high standards, expanding their knowledge and skills through experiential education, sustaining lifelong intellectual curiosity, valuing the richness of diversity, and serving their campus, local, and global communities as leaders. The Program builds on FDU’s global mission by offering dynamic coursework, cocurricular activities, a living/learning community, study abroad experiences, mentorship from faculty and peers, and a broader network of support.
Benefits
Honors students enjoy a number of exciting benefits during their time at FDU at no cost to the student. Some of these include:
- Specialized honors academic advising and priority registration
- Designation on the degree, transcript, and in graduation program
- Opportunity for honors housing (not required)
- Research opportunities and mentorship from individual faculty mentor in major
- Specially-designed honors courses that meet requirements for all majors and are taught by select faculty
- Sense of community among an incredibly diverse group of honors students
- Mentorship from a personally-matched upper class honors student
- On-campus social activities like ice cream social, pizza party, scavenger hunt, dinner-and-theater or dinner-and-game nights, honors formal, movie nights, and game nights
- Off-campus activities like Broadway and other theater trips, movie nights, pumpkin picking, New Jersey Speaker Series, museum visits
- Access to unique academic, internship, and scholarship opportunities
- Regional travel to present research at annual Northeast Regional Honors Conference
- Wroxton Summer Seminar and other honors short-term study abroad opportunities (subsidized but not fully paid by honors)
The Honors Program is designed to take advantage of the cultural and intellectual richness of New York City, and honors students benefit from its proximity to campus.
Program Requirements
The requirements for honors include three parts that are part of a well-rounded honors education: scholarship in the classroom, experiential and applied learning, and engagement with the honors community. The requirements are meant to be completed across a student’s academic career at FDU.
Scholarship (complete 8 total over 4 years): This is fulfilled through your academic coursework by taking courses that have an honors designation. See the curriculum (below) for further information.
Honors Experience (complete 4 total over 4 years): This is applying honors learning outside of the classroom through service, travel, or career experiences. Examples of an Honors Experience are
- Honors UNIV 1001 (Transitioning to University Life)
- Serve as an Honors Host
- Study Abroad (short-term or full semester)
- Presentation at NRHC or Other Academic Conference
- Internship (short-term or full semester)
- Shadowing related to a Major or Career
- Mentored Research
- Campus or Community Leadership (with pre-approval)
- Serving as an Honors Support Squad Leader
- Applying for Nationally Competitive Scholarships (Fulbright, Rhodes, etc.)
Honors Community (complete 8 total over 4 years): This is fulfilled through connecting with members of the honors community through on- and off-campus opportunities, organized by the Honors Office. Examples of Honors Community events are:
- Honors Colloquia or Speakers
- Honors On-Campus Events
- Honors Off-Campus Events
- Participation in the Honors Admissions Committee
- Participation in the Honors Support Squads
- Participation in the Honors Social Committee
- Living in Honors Housing
Maintain a minimum cumulative GPA that increases at the end of each academic year
- Sophomore Year: 3.3
- Junior Year: 3.4
- Senior Year: 3.5
- Graduate with 3.5 GPA
Curriculum
The Honors Program offers a rotating list of honors courses in a variety of fields that fulfill requirements for either General Education or specific majors.
In the freshman year, students typically enroll in Honors sections of Composition I (WRIT 1002) and Composition II (WRIT 1003), as well as Transitioning to University Life (UNIV 1001). In the junior year, students take HON 3302 Honors Thesis Prospectus for one semester to prepare a proposal for the senior thesis or capstone project. In the senior year, students enroll in HON 4403 Senior Honors Research (fall) and HON 4403 Senior Honors Thesis (spring).
Other Honors courses are made available to our students each semester on a rotating basis.
All Honors Program Students participate in Honors Advising each semester to discuss which honors class option best fits their needs.
If none of the other honors offerings fit a student’s schedule and degree requirements, the student can designate another course as an honors course through a Course Honors Contract. These honors courses include additional special projects that enhance learning and knowledge in the student’s major area of study. Prior approval from your honors advisor is needed to take an honors course. Please email fduhonors@fdu.edu to complete a contract.
After Graduation
Many University Honors Program graduates have been accepted to professional or graduate schools. Recent graduates are studying in medical and dental schools, pursuing M.B.A.s in finance, marketing, or accounting, completing graduate degrees in forensic psychology or criminal justice, or Ph.D. degrees in biology, pharmacology, and other fields. They have been accepted into graduate programs at the University of Pennsylvania, Rutgers, New York University, The New School, Drew University, Seton Hall University, and the College of Medicine and Dentistry of NJ, among others. Many who chose to pursue education have joined public schools and Teach for America. Others work for large multinational corporations as well as nonprofits and NGOs. They work as lawyers, accountants, and counselors, or hold positions in government, publishing, and in hotel and restaurant management.
Madison, New Jersey 07940
Teaneck, NJ 07666
What Honors Students Have to Say
“The Honors program at FDU has a sense of community and helpfulness that I never experienced in high school. Taking part in this program has provided me with a huge support system and the resources I need to succeed in college.”
“My favorite parts of the Honors Program are mentoring incoming freshmen and going to the Honors Conference every spring.”
“What makes being an honors student special is how the faculty pays special attention to the members in the program to make sure they take advantage of all of the extra opportunities on campus.”
“Being part of honors has enhanced my experience as an FDU student and has provided me the tools to go above and beyond expectations set by my professors.”
“The FDU Honors Program allowed me to grow as a student and member of my community. I was able to share my love for art with others at the NRHC. The Honors Conference was the highlight of my college career.”
"The best part of being an honors student is the community. I have made my closest friends at FDU through honors, specifically honors housing, and they are connections that I'll cherish for a lifetime."
"Enrolling in FDU Honors does not hinder your progress; rather, it enhances your overall experience at the university. It opens doors to various opportunities and, most importantly, provides you with a supportive community."