Below are the official policies of the Honors Institute, categorized by topic. Please contact us if you have any questions regarding these policies or to request an exception. The Honors Institute is committed to the success of its students and will try to work with students who are facing special difficulties or unusual circumstances.

Admission to the Honors Institute:

• Admission is open to both AA and AS degree seeking students
• The Honors Institute admits any student who has earned at least 12 college-level credits and has a minimum 3.5 GPA (for all completed college-level coursework)
• The Honors Institute admits any high school graduate who has a combined SAT score of 1000 or higher (minimum 440 Verbal and 440 Math). The student must NOT be in need of remedial courses.
• The Honors Institute admits any student who has earned a top 1-2% GED score (based upon the score percentiles on a student's GED diploma)
• The Honors Institute may admit a student who can document the completion of a home school program and who has a combined SAT score of 1000 or higher (minimum 440 Verbal and 440 Math). The student must NOT be in need of remedial courses.
• The Honors Institute admits outstanding High School students to its Scholar Award program; please see details below
• Students who meet any of the above eligibility requirements should complete an Honors Institute Admissions Application form, which may be found online
• Students who are just short of fulfilling admission requirements should contact the Honors Institute as they may be admitted on a provisional basis
  

Honors Courses:

• Most Honors courses are intended to fulfill General Education requirements for AA degree seeking students. Thus, it is to the student's advantage to begin taking Honors courses immediately before they have already completed GenEd.
• An exception to the above policy is the IDH 2121 Interdisciplinary Seminar Course, which is required for the Honors Certificate. While this course does not fulfill General Education requirements, it is accredited and transferable.
• Honors courses do not cost more than an equivalent non-Honors course
• Honors courses are distinguished from regular courses in that they incorporate an "Honors Project" and mandatory writing option and are designed to be more dynamic, interesting, and challenging
• A student must pass an Honors course with a B average or higher in order to earn Honors credit for the class. Otherwise an Honors course will only count for regular credit.
• Honors students may take Honors Courses (including IDH 2121) at any campus (and likewise may attend Honors Institute workshops and/or orientations at any campus)

Honors by Contract:

• Honors by Contract provides an opportunity to earn Honors credit for a non-Honors course
• Students may take only one Honors by Contract course during the completion of their A.A. or A.S. degree
• Students participating in an Honors by Contract course and not enrolled in another Honors course will not be eligible for the Honors Institute term scholarship
• Professors must be full-time members of the faculty; exceptions must be approved by the Associate Dean and the Honors Coordinator
• The full guidelines and procedure are found in the Honors by Contract form, which is available online

Honors Institute Certificate:

• The Honors Institute Certificate is intended to document a student's completion of the BCC Honors Program. Students who do not earn an Honors Certificate will still be identified as Honors students on their official transcripts, but may not be eligible for the benefits associated with the Honors Certificate.
• An Associate in Arts (AA) degree seeking student must complete 5 Honors courses AND IDH 2121 (6 Honors Courses/18 credits total) in order to earn the Honors Certificate
• An Associate in Science (AS) degree seeking student must complete a total of 3 Honors Courses/9 credits (IDH2121 not required) in order to earn the Honors Certificate
• A student must have a 3.5 or higher GPA at the time of graduation in order to earn the Honors Certificate
• A student must apply for the Honors Institute Certificate at the beginning of the year during which graduation will take place. Annual deadlines are in early January. Students should use the "Request for Honors Graduation & University Preference Form" which is available online.

Honors Term Scholarships:

• Term scholarships are available for both fulltime and part-time Honors students who meet the eligibility requirements
• For part-time scholarships, students must be enrolled in at least 6 credits, but not more than 11 credits during the term of the award
• For fulltime scholarships, students must be enrolled in at least 12 credits during the term of the award
• Applicants must be members of the BCC Honors Institute
• Applicants with at least a 3.5 GPA will be given preference
• Applicants on financial aid may be ineligible if they have already met the maximum amount of assistance permitted for the calendar year. (This circumstance is very unusual; please check with the BCC Financial Aid office if you are already receiving numerous grants and/or scholarships)
• Scholar Award Recipients and Dual Enrolled students are not eligible.
• Students will be notified of the decision VIA EMAIL ONLY
• The most recent Term Scholarship policies may be found in the application form

Honors Institute Scholar Award:

• The Scholar Award is a special, full tuition scholarship program available to outstanding high school students entering BCC. The Honors Institute is presently offering 100 Scholar Awards per year and usually awards all of them to students who are entering BCC in the Fall term. Students who plan to enter BCC in the Winter term may contact the Honors Institute to see if there is any money available.
• Scholar Award students are expected to earn the Honors Institute Certificate
• Students who meet any of the following criteria should speak with their high school B.R.A.C.E. advisor about applying:
  - unweighted high school GPA of at least 3.3
  - high SAT/ACT scores
  - have taken AP/Honors courses
• Students with high SAT scores (1000 or higher) who can document the completion of high school through a home school program should contact the Honors Institute.
• Students with a GED score of 3500 or higher should contact the Honors Institute.
• The Scholar Award covers 12 credits per term up to a maximum of 62 total credits. In order to maintain this scholarship, a student must be enrolled fulltime (12 credits minimum) every term and must be enrolled in at least one Honors Class. If a student does not meet these requirements in a given term, he/she will not be awarded the scholarship and will need to apply for renewal in the following term.
• Scholar Award students must have at least a 3.25 GPA after their first year at BCC
• The Scholar Award scholarship may not be renewed for students whose GPA falls below 3.25. Any student whose GPA falls below 3.00 will not be renewed.