Supplemental Essay and Questions Required for Honors College Applicants
Fall 2027 Admission is Now Open
Application review for the 2027–28 academic year began on July 1 with review to begin in mid-September. To be fully considered for both admission and merit scholarship, please submit your materials by mid-February 2027. Last year we received many applications after this date that we were unable to review.
How To Apply
First, apply for admission to IUP. Indicate that you are planning to apply to the Cook Honors College by answering Yes to that question on the application (it’s in the Academic Plans section). After you submit your application, you will find the supplemental essay and questions in the Application Checklist section of your IUP admissions profile. You don’t have to complete the supplemental questions at the same time as the initial application. You can access your application checklist by logging in to your profile using your original username and password.
If you did not indicate that you would like to apply to the Cook Honors College when you initially applied to IUP, email application-docs@iup.edu, and we will gladly add the honors college supplemental form to your profile. After receiving confirmation, you will find the supplemental essay and questions in the Application Checklist section of your IUP admissions profile.
Current IUP students desiring to enter the Cook Honors College after the first semester should contact the honors college at honors@iup.edu before applying. You will submit responses to the application questions below only if your cumulative GPA is at or above a 3.25. If not, you will need to achieve a 3.25 cumulative GPA before applying. First-semester IUP students may apply only after achieving the minimum GPA in their first term.
What Can I Major In?
Get more information about majors you are interested in and what honors students have to say about them.
Our Typical Student
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Cook Honors College Application Preview
We value the opportunity to learn about our applicants’ academic strengths as well as who they are as individuals. Below are the questions you will find on the Cook Honors College application if you want to prepare your responses before opening the application. You may save and return to your application as often as necessary to edit your responses before submitting.
Résumé Section
- Name a book, movie, song, TV show, podcast, theatrical show, or other cultural production that has changed your perspective or worldview. In two to three sentences, briefly explain its impact on you.
- In two to three sentences, explain how you have spent your past two summers, including any jobs you have held.
- Your activities/clubs/organizations: List activities/clubs/organizations in which you’ve participated, noting any leadership roles.
- Your service/volunteer experience: List service/volunteer experiences.
- Identify the most meaningful school or community activity in which you’ve participated. In two to three sentences, explain how your participation impacted others in your school or community.
Short Essays
- What, specifically, motivated you to apply to the Cook Honors College? What do you most want to learn/do/become here? [100–300 words]
- Your reflection: A community is made up of unique individuals who constantly learn from and challenge each other. What makes you special? How will you use your unique individuality to contribute to the honors community? [100–300 words]
Long Essay
In approximately 500 words, answer ONE of the following questions. Note that we seek developed essays, not short, single-paragraph answers.
- Write about a “coming of age” moment that illustrated your shift from child to adult in your family or community.
- Describe a major disagreement that you’ve had with someone over an issue (the issue could be personal, political, or something else entirely). How did you deal with that conflict? What did you learn from the experience?
- Imagine that you were asked to teach a class to other students at IUP on a subject not usually taught in college classrooms. What would you teach? Why? What would your students learn in the class, and how would that be beneficial to them? What would you learn from teaching the class?
- All humans are good at some things and bad at other things. What are you bad at? What have you learned about yourself or the world by being bad at that thing?
- Name someone outside of your immediate family (no parents or siblings) who has had a major impact on your life and your value system. How have they shaped you, and how do you want to thank them? What will you do to become someone whom someone will one day thank in an honors college admissions essay?