Honors courses offer motivated, goal-oriented students an opportunity to learn in an energetic, academic environment that enables students and instructors to explore subjects at a greater depth than would ordinarily be possible in a non-honors course.

An Honors designation automatically enhances the impact of a student’s transcript on a potential transfer institution because it shows a student’s dedication to academic challenge and excellence. However, for students admitted into the Honors General Education Core Curriculum there are additional benefits including:

• guaranteed priority consideration for admission as a junior to UCLA, UC Santa Cruz, UC Irvine, UC Riverside, USC, Pomona College, Pepperdine University, Chapman University, Occidental College and Pitzer College
  
• entrance as a junior into the San Diego State University Honors Program with the added benefit of priority enrollment;
  
• expedited transfer to many other universities who tend to give higher consideration to applicants based on “academic rigor of program completed”;
  
• personalized academic and career planning with a designated honors counselor;
  
• opportunities for special honors scholarships, both at the community college level and at transfer universities;
  
• guidance in writing college admission essays as well as personal letters of recommendation from honors faculty or coordinators.

To maintain standing as a student in the Honors General Education Core Curriculum you must maintain a 3.25 GPA in all course work. The San Diego Community College District Honors Program takes pride not only in its reputation for academic excellence and integrity, but in the exceptional quality and diversity of the students who transfer from our program to universities throughout California and the United States.

Honors Book Award Scholarship
All full and part-time students who enroll in an honors course, or who participate in the Honors Program via Honors Contracts, are eligible to apply for an Honors Book Award Scholarship. These awards, sponsored by the San Diego Scholarship Foundation, are available each semester and may be renewable for students who continue to enroll in at least one honors class per semester and maintain an acceptable honors-level GPA. For more information about Honors Scholarships, contact your campus Honors Program coordinator.

Additionally, honors students who choose to participate in the campus chapter of AGS (Alpha Gamma Sigma) may also be eligible for additional scholarship opportunities as a result of their high GPA status and membership in this statewide honors organization. For more information about AGS membership and scholarship opportunities, contact your campus AGS representative through the office of Student Affairs.