Honors Program

Freshmen Students

Incoming students (freshmen) who have received a letter of invitation or who have a high school GPA of 3.5 or higher (4.0 on the SC Uniform Grading Scale) and an SAT score of 1170 or an ACT score of 25 may apply for admission into the Honors Program. The application deadline for the Fall 2025 semester is no later than April 11, 2025.

To apply, complete the online application. Be sure to have the following information ready:

• Name
• Mailing address
• E-mail address
• Major
• High school attended 
• High school GPA
• A short narrative on why you would like to join the honors program (approximately 200 words)

Please submit a writing sample (see instructions below) and two letters of recommendation from your teachers. The writing sample is very important. Please use the guidelines at the bottom of this page to aid you.

You may attach your letters and a writing sample to the online application form or they can be emailed directly to Dr. Vieyra. Hard copies of these documents can also be mailed to the program director: 

Dr. Michelle Vieyra, Director
Honors Program, USC Aiken
471 University Parkway
Aiken SC 29801, Box #26

Honors Program Application Form

Honors Program Writing Sample Guidelines

The Honors Steering Committee uses the writing sample to evaluate each applicant’s writing proficiency and critical thinking ability. Applicants should take the time to carefully compose a writing sample that exhibits excellence in both of these areas and meets the criteria below:

Choose one of the following topics and write a researched essay of at least 500 words that responds to one of the prompts.

• Discuss the impacts of the rising cost of university education on college students.
• Discuss the benefits of a four-year university degree for students who attain one.

Be specific and give examples. Incorporate some reference to your own personal experience(s). You must include information from at least two of the sources found below. You must cite where sources are used within the text and include a reference page. Feel free to use additional sources if you like but they must be cited as well.

• The National Center for Education Statistics: https://nces.ed.gov/
• Federal Student Aid: An Office of the US Department of Education: https://studentaid.gov
• The Times Higher Education: https://www.timeshighereducation.com/
• College Board Research: https://research.collegeboard.org/
• The Association of Public and Land Grant Universities: https://www.aplu.org/

AI-generated essays are easy for experienced professors to detect. While grammatically very good, AI software does not organize information like humans do and, more importantly, will not incorporate information from specific sources correctly or accurately. If an AI-generated essay is suspected, you will be asked to submit an alternative writing sample for evaluation.

Evaluation Criteria:

1. Clarity of Purpose – Positions are clear, thesis/claim/intent is obvious, multiple viewpoints are expressed/accommodated, clear sense of audience.
2. Quality of Thought—There is unified and strong control of content; opinions and/or claims are well-supported, and evidence is provided.
3. Organization of Content – Ideas are well connected through structural and linguistic transitions; structure complements the content.
4. Synthesis and Integration of Sources – Sources are presented clearly and concisely to support/examine/compare/evaluate various opinions and/or claims.
5. Attribution and Documentation– The audience can clearly identify the purposeful use of sources and can track source material. Each source is identified in the text and on the work cited/references page.
6. Language and Style – Diction and syntax are well-chosen to express ideas.
7. Grammar and Usage – Grammatical structures are well-chosen and correct.

Honors Program Application Form

Continuing and Transfer Students

Continuing USCA students or students transferring from another college or university with 45 credit hours or less and a college/ university GPA of 3.5 or higher may also apply to the Honors Program. Applications for the Fall semester must be submitted by June 15 and for the Spring semester by December 31.

To apply, complete the online application. Be sure to have the following information ready:

• Name
• Mailing address 
• Email address
• Major
• USCA GPA
• A short narrative on why one would like to join the honors program (approximately 200 words)

Continuing or transfer students must submit two letters of recommendation from college/ university professors and a writing sample from a college/ university course. Use the writing guidelines below for the selection of the writing sample. 
You may attach your letters and writing sample to the online application form or they can be emailed directly to Dr. Vieyra. Hard copies of these documents can also be mailed to the program director:

Dr. Michelle Vieyra, Director
Honors Program, USC Aiken
471 University Parkway
Aiken SC 29801, Box #26

Honors Program Application Form

Honors Program Writing Sample Guidelines for Continuing and Transfer Students

The writing sample is used by the Honors Steering Committee to evaluate each applicant’s writing proficiency and critical thinking ability. Therefore, applicants should carefully choose a writing sample that exhibits excellence in both of these areas.

Collaborative essays are not allowed. All elements of the writing sample, except cited quotations and/or paraphrases, must be completely the work of the applicant.

A researched argument or analysis with cited sources is strongly preferred. However, other types of writing that showcase the applicant’s abilities in both writing proficiency and critical thinking may be submitted instead. Such examples include position papers; lab reports; critical, discursive, or comparison/ contrast essays; analyses of literary works; and technical writing assignments.  In all cases, a writing sample that includes the use and appropriate citation of external sources is preferred.  Personal narratives and creative writing samples will not be accepted.

NOTE 1: Please attach a brief description of the writing assignment from the course in which it was assigned. This will give the committee the context of the assignment. This is a required piece of the writing sample.

NOTE 2: Students who do not have a previously written writing sample that fits the above criteria may instead write an essay in response to the prompts provided for freshmen applicants (see above).

Evaluation Criteria

Clarity of Purpose – Positions are clear, thesis/claim/intent is obvious; multiple viewpoints are expressed/accommodated; clear sense of audience.

Quality of Thought – Unified and strong control of content; opinions and/or claims are well-supported; evidence is provided.

Organization of Content – Ideas are well connected through structural and linguistic transitions; structure complements content.

Synthesis and Integration of Sources – Sources are presented clearly and concisely to support/examine/compare/evaluate various opinions and/or claims.

Attribution and Documentation – The audience can clearly identify the purposeful use of sources and can track source material. Each source is identified in the text and on the work cited/references page.

Language and Style – Diction and syntax are well-chosen to express ideas.

Grammar and Usage – Grammatical structures are well-chosen and correct.

NOTE 3: All of the above criteria need not apply to every writing sample but applicants should keep the above rubric in mind when selecting a sample for submission.