High Ability

Honors at Nebraska

At the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, we know you have the potential to be a world-changer some day and we want to help you get there. We want to help you grow into the very best version of yourself.

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University Honors

The University Honors Program offers top students in all majors opportunities to enhance their educational experience and distinguish themselves. University Honors students enjoy small classes, work closely with faculty on coursework and undergraduate research projects, belong to a community of high-achieving student leaders on campus, receive mentorship from upperclass Honors students, have opportunities to live in Honors housing, and are eligible for Honors-specific scholarships. This customizable program offers students the advantages of a leading research university with the benefits of a small, liberal arts environment.

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University Honors

Who Should Apply

Honors Program applications undergo a comprehensive review. We are most interested in students who demonstrate:

  • a record of academic excellence
  • a desire to engage in rigorous and challenging courses
  • evidence of involvement and leadership in school and community activities
  • the maturity necessary to succeed at a higher level in college

Deadline: November 2

Applications after November 2 will be reviewed on a space available basis until February 15. Notifications for applicants who submitted materials by the deadline will be sent by winter break.

Honors Contact

Ellen Sundermeier
Assistant Director of High Ability Recruitment
Office of Admissions
ellen.sundermeier@unl.edu
402-472-5125

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Raikes School

The Jeffrey S. Raikes School of Computer Science and Management is a leader in interdisciplinary education and innovation. Each year the Raikes School selects a cohort of 35–40 high-achieving students who demonstrate a passion for computing, business and engineering. Driven by a project-oriented curriculum and real-world application, and alongside industry and community partners, students leverage design and model thinking to develop human-centered solutions to wicked problems, while also building leadership, project management, analytical and communication skills. Within the Kauffman Center, the home of the Raikes School, students experience the camaraderie of a small, prestigious college with Nebraska’s Big Ten resources.

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Raikes School

Eligibility Requirements

  • Composite ACT score of a 30+, or combined SAT score of a 1400+ (mathematics and critical reading total); Average ACT of accepted students is a 33.9.
  • GPA of a 3.8+ (unweighted 4.0 scale).
  • Demonstrated leadership abilities and a desire to serve.
  • Committed to incorporating computing, data science, and business coursework into your college curriculum. Typical majors include: computer science, computer engineering, software engineering, electrical engineering, actuarial science, economics, finance, or other related fields of study.

Final Deadline: November 2

Applications will be accepted after November 2 if space is available.

Deadline extended for international students: January 15

Raikes School Contact

Anna Pressler
Director of Recruitment and Student Success
anna.pressler@unl.edu
402-472-9097

Visit Raikes School

Nebraska Business Honors Academy

The Nebraska Business Honors Academy is a four-year, cohort-based, enhanced business leadership program for high-ability students who have the potential and desire to become the next generation of business leaders. Each year the Academy selects 40-45 students who complete most of their foundation and core business courses together as a cohort using an action-based learning style focused on the development of critical thinking, technical and communication skills. Students learn to develop solutions for real-world business problems and create social and intellectual bonds.

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Nebraska Business Honors Academy

Eligibility Requirements

  • Composite ACT score of 27+, or a combined SAT score of 1300+ (Mathematics and Critical Reading Total).
  • Demonstrated leadership abilities and/or potential.
  • Committed to a major in business.
  • Effective oral and written communication skills.

Final Deadline: November 2

Applications will be accepted after November 2 if space is available.

Nebraska Business Honors Academy Contact

Erin Burnette
Director, Nebraska Business Honors Academy
eburnette1@unl.edu
402-472-2310

Visit Nebraska Business Honors Academy

Honors Application Instructions

At Nebraska, it's all here: three prestigious, tight-knit Honors communities within a larger University system that has the resources and opportunities you need to continue to succeed. Prepare to apply by reviewing the instructions below.

First-Year Applicants Transfer Applicants

Application Instructions

Before You Apply

  • Review whether you are eligible for the Honors Program(s) you're interested in.
  • Know the deadlines for applying.
    • Priority consideration deadline for all Honors Programs: November 2
    • The Raikes School and Nebraska Business Honors Academy may reach capacity following the November 2 application review period. We recommended you contact these programs for more information about program admission.
  • See our application tips for completing the short answer, resume and essay questions.
  • Be prepared with a list of courses you plan to take your senior year of high school and any college-level courses you have taken (including AP, IB, dual-enrollment, etc.).
  • Keep in mind, there are a limited number of spaces available in each program.

Apply For Admission

  • Fill out Application
  • Within five working days, you will receive an email with your NU ID number & your temporary TrueYou password.

Log into TrueYou

  • Log in to TrueYou and set your MyRed Password.

Apply for the Honors Program(s)

  • Log into MyRed to apply for the Honors Program(s).

Receive Notification

  • Notifications regarding Honors Program status will be sent to the email address provided on the application for admission. Please ensure that the address provided is current and is the best way to reach you.

Transfer Application Instructions

Before you Apply

  • Review whether you are eligible for the honors program(s) you're interested in.
  • See our application tips for completing the short answer, resume and essay questions.
  • Keep in mind, there are a limited number of spaces available in each program.

Apply for Admission

Complete a Transfer/Upper-class Honors Application

Submit your 250-word essay

  • Part of the transfer/upper-class honors application.

Submit Supporting Admission Materials by the due dates:

  • Fall semester: May 1
  • Spring semester: December 1

Application Tips

Resume

Your resume is how you provide faculty and staff reviewers information about your academic interests, skills and other relevant experiences that make you an appealing candidate for the Honors Programs. For the purpose of this application process, your resume should be comprehensive but brief.

Be sure to include:
  • Your high school unweighted GPA (out of a maximum of 4.0), Class Rank (if available), and ACT/SAT score.
  • Activities with grades of involvement (example: Marching Band, grades 9-12).
  • With each activity, indicate any leadership roles and grade of the role (example: Marching Band, grades 9-10; Trumpet Section Leader, grades 10-11; Drum Major, grade 12).
  • For any service or work experiences, include number of hours/week (example: Nursing Home volunteer, grade 10, 2 hrs/week).
Formatting Tips
  • Resumes should be 1 page in length (samples are provided below for reference).
  • Be aware that the application form removes all formatting, so it's important to keep your text layout as simple as possible.
  • To see how it will appear for faculty and staff reviewers, copy and paste your resume into a plain text editor (e.g., Notepad for Windows users, TextEdit in plain-text mode for Mac users).
  • You can use simplified bullets, all caps, and line breaks to indicate headings or to draw attention to important information.

Sample Resumes

Short Answer

The short answer section consists of several questions—one optional.

Required for all applicants:
  • Indicate your professional goals. Please be specific and limit your response to 25 words or less.
Required for Raikes School and Nebraska Business Honors Academy applicants:
  • Explain your interest in continuing your education in business and/or computer science, specifically through the Nebraska Business Honors Academy and/or the Raikes School of Computer Science and Management. Support your answer with examples of your past experiences, interests, and future goals in 400 words or less.
  • Select one service or extracurricular activity that has had the strongest influence on you and describe how it has impacted your development in 250 words or less. Please note: the activity you choose to write about here should be different than any activities you reference in your longer essay questions listed below.
Optional:
  • If there is anything else you would like to include in your application, such as an unusual circumstance or special information about yourself that would be relevant, please describe it.
  • The optional short answer question is an opportunity for you to share anything unique about yourself or your experiences that would help faculty and staff to get to know you better. You may also use this space if there is something that needs further explanation not addressed in the other application questions, such as an academic deficiency.

The short answer responses should be prepared in advance. Be aware that the application form removes all formatting, so it's important to keep your text layout as simple as possible. To see how it will appear for faculty and staff reviewers, copy and paste your response into a plain text editor (e.g., Notepad for Windows users, TextEdit in plain-text mode for Mac users).

Essay

At Nebraska Honors, we value intellectual curiosity, diversity of experience and giving back to the community in meaningful and lasting ways. We are looking for students who share these values and exhibit them in their daily lives. Choose one of these three values and, using specific examples A) demonstrate how you have lived this value in your own life and B) what you would contribute to the Nebraska Honors community related to this value. Keep in mind that we already have your transcript and resume, but feel free to expand upon a particular experience from your resume if it is relevant to your response.

Education

  • Include the full name of your high school, city, state and years attended.
  • Include your GPA, rank, and your scores for the PSAT and SAT/ACT.

Study With The Best

Faculty & Resources

At Nebraska you'll find professors who care about you, who push you to be the best and give you the chance to work alongside them. Nebraska is the perfect size—big enough to have the faculty, resources and opportunities you need to be your best, yet small enough so you'll have easy access to it all, especially if you're in an Honors program.

Here you will find peers you can rely on and people you can work with to create great things before you graduate. With an average 31.5 ACT (1430 SAT), incoming Honors students from the past three years have included 94 National Merit Finalists, 38 National Hispanic Scholar Finalists and 19 perfect scorers. Nebraska's Honors students include some of the best scholars from around the world.

When you consider Nebraska's tuition and the number of scholarships available, you'll be hard-pressed to find a better value for such great opportunities.

Community

Representing about 10% of total enrollment, Nebraska's Honors programs are home to a tight-knit community of scholars within the larger University, striking a unique balance of an intimate academic experience and a university that has all the resources you need to excel.

At Nebraska, you'll have all the opportunities you'd expect from a Big Ten University—cutting-edge research labs, top internship placements, access to professional leaders in your field of study, and the chance to compete in academic competitions at the international level.

Outside of the classroom, you'll also have access to a full Big Ten university experience—a vibrant campus culture, unmatched student life programs, and the growing city of Lincoln.

Thanks to the balance between community and opportunity, our scholars have gone on to do great things. Nebraska has helped prepare 111 Fulbright Scholars, 31 Goldwater Scholars, 22 Rhodes Scholars, 16 Truman Scholars, three Marshall Scholars and one Udall Scholar.

Research

At the college level, research is more than writing papers—it's about creating new knowledge.

We know you have good ideas and the aptitude to make them real. So we've developed a nationally-recognized program called UCARE (Undergraduate Creative Activities & Research Experiences) to connect talented and driven students like you with opportunities to do work that will help shape the future before you even graduate.

Best of all, as a part of UCARE, you'll get paid to work alongside world-class faculty while completing a meaningful research project—from discovering new meaning in works of art to completing foundational research that could lead to a cure for HIV—all before you graduate.

And as if making a positive difference in the world weren't enough reward, completing a UCARE project will give you a competitive edge when you apply to graduate school or for a job in your field.

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Campus Life

We know that great learning isn't confined to the walls of a classroom. It happens in the lab, in the field, and in a residence hall study room with your friends at 2 a.m. over Red Bull and Cheetos.

The peers you study with are what make college special. They're not only friends that will last a lifetime, they're partners traveling the same road as you, pushing and supporting you along the way to be your best. And you'll do the same for them.

Plus, if you join a learning community you'll live and learn together with students in the same area of study, interact with faculty more directly, and connect with upper-class mentors and alumni.

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