Admissions

Do Something Different

The Ogden Honors College will help you make the most of your undergraduate experience. When you check the box to join the Ogden community, you gain access to our dedicated advising staff who will help you craft and carry out a rich four-year plan for your time at LSU, you open the door to opportunities for scholarships, community service, study abroad, internships, and innovative research with a faculty mentor, you have access to uniquely-crafted courses offered exclusively to honors students, and you put yourself on a path to graduate with some of LSU’s highest distinctions. When you check the box to join Ogden Honors, you put your future in motion.

Admission Requirements

Admission to the Ogden Honors College is highly competitive. Selection for incoming first-year students is based on high school GPA, ACT or SAT scores, and a writing sample. The writing sample is weighed on an even scale with GPA and standardized exam scores, so special consideration should be given to this component of the application. The strength of courses taken in high school will be considered and is factored into the calculation of the high school GPA.

Recommended admission criteria include:

  • 3.5 GPA weighted by LSU
  • 30 ACT Composite with 30 English 
  • 1360 SAT Total with 670 Evidence-based Reading and Writing
  • Writing Sample (Required)

Writing Sample

To demonstrate their writing aptitude, students are required to submit a writing sample as part of their application for Honors College admission. Students must indicate their preferred writing sample via the Honors College Writing Sample Selection Form in the LSU Admissions Portal after submitting the Common Application. For full admission consideration, the writing sample must be provided no later than December 15.

Students may select one of three options:

  • Ogden Honors College Essay - RECOMMENDED
    Select this option if you wish to submit an original essay response to a provided prompt as your writing sample. By selecting this option, your LSU Admissions Portal Checklist will be updated with an Ogden Honors College Essay link through which you must submit your essay.
    • Prompt for 2024-25 application: In an essay of 400-600 words, describe an activity, object, or idea that helps you express yourself to the world. Say how.
  • Common Application Essay
    Select this option if you will have already included an essay as part of your Common Application and wish to use it for Honors College admission consideration.
  • Other equivalent writing assessment (ACT Writing Test score, AP or IB English Exam score, or final grade from a dual enrollment English course)
    Select this option if you will have already completed one of these alternate writing assessments and wish to use it for Honors College admission consideration. (Your assessment must be either included in your application materials or emailed to admissions@lsu.edu.)
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Step 1: Apply to LSU

If you are ready to become a member of the Ogden Honors College, you should apply for admission while applying to LSU. You may apply to LSU using the Common Application. To apply to the Ogden Honors College, simply check the box for Honors admission consideration on your LSU application.

Start an application

Honors students sitting in a circle at a Thesis Day crawfish boil

Step 2: Choose Honors

An Honors College section is included on the application; there is no separate application process. If you have already completed your LSU application, but did not check the box to be considered for Honors College admission, you may amend your application. 

Amend application

Admissions Timeline

The priority deadline to apply and be considered for the Ogden Honors College is December 15. Students may be notified of their Honors College admission status as early as November and on a rolling basis thereafter. Students are strongly encouraged to apply by the December 15 deadline. Any applications received after this date will be reviewed on a space-available basis.

Visit

You are invited to discover more about the Ogden Honors College by visiting the Ogden Honors campus. You will meet with an Honors College representative who will highlight the Ogden community, take your questions, and discuss your interests and how they can be met by the academics, opportunities, and co-curricular programs offered by the Ogden Honors College and LSU. Such a visit is a great way to inform your decision to attend LSU and Ogden Honors.  

To schedule a visit, complete one of the forms below at least 24 hours in advance of your requested date. Ogden Honors College tours are held at 2:30 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays (excluding university holidays and closures and any dates listed below).

Laville Honors House

LSU's Department of Residential Life offers several housing tour options. To learn about options for touring Laville Honors House, visit the LSU Department of Residential Life's Housing Tours page.

LSU Campus Tour + Ogden Honors Visit

To schedule a tour of both LSU and the Ogden Honors College, please complete the LSU Campus Tour registration form. Registration must be completed at least 24 hours in advance of an expected visit. Please note that Honors College tours are held at 2:30 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays (excluding university holidays and closures and any dates listed below). You will receive a confirmation regarding your campus itinerary as your visit day approaches.

Ogden Honors Visit only

If you have already attended an LSU Campus Tour but would like to return to campus to visit the Ogden Honors College, please complete the Ogden Honors College Tour registration form. These tours are held at 2:30 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays (excluding university holidays and closures and any dates listed below). Registration must be completed at least 24 hours in advance. You will receive an email confirming your visit and information regarding parking as your visit date approaches.

We are unable to accommodate visit requests for the following date(s):

  • November 25, 2024 - Kickoff LSU*
  • November 27-29, 2024 - Thanksgiving Holiday
  • December 23, 2024-January 3, 2025 - Winter Holiday

*Kickoff LSU is a full-day open-house experience for prospective students. For more information and to register, visit www.lsu.edu/kickofflsu. 

Appeals

If you wish to appeal an admission decision, you may do so by letter, addressed to the Dean of the Ogden Honors College, Dr. Jonathan Earle. Appeals may be submitted only by the applicant and must clearly state the applicant's reasons for appealing the original admission decision. The appeal should include significant information that was not included in the original admission consideration. All appeals are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Applicants may expect a response within 3 weeks of the date the appeal is submitted. Appeals must be received by June 1.

Submit your appeal and any supporting materials at https://admissions.lsu.edu/register/honorsappeal.

Continuing and Transfer Students

If you are currently an LSU student, or if you are a transfer student entering LSU, and would like to be considered for admission into the Ogden Honors College, you are welcome to do so if you meet and provide the following admissions criteria: 

  • 3.5 cumulative GPA in all college coursework taken;
  • An excellent 400-600 word essay; and
  • At least four semesters of college coursework remaining in your major.

For more information on how to apply to the Honors College as a transfer or continuing student, please visit our transfer and continuing students admissions page. 

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