Honors College Admissions

Students applying to the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College for Fall 2026 admission and beyond will first need to complete the University of Mississippi’s undergraduate admission application. Once a student is accepted to UM, they may complete and submit the SMBHC application, through the Competitive Academic Program Application.

The SMBHC application will be available in October and will have a final deadline of January 10, 2026. If the Competitive Academic Program application becomes available earlier than October and the Honors College reinstates its Early-Action deadline, this page will be updated accordingly.

The SMBHC admissions committee reviews applications holistically, and in anticipation of the application opening in October, students are encouraged to gather information about their high school experiences, including academic pursuits, extracurricular activities, leadership roles, community service, honors or awards, and work experience. The committee will also read your recommendation letters as well as your Academic Personal Statement (300-500 words), which prompts: Describe your academic interests and how the University of Mississippi will help you achieve your goals. How do you envision yourself contributing to the academic community?

The SMBHC essay prompt for this year’s application follows: Describe a piece of art, music, or writing you have found powerful, and explain how it has impacted you. Your essay must be between 500 and 700 words. It will be evaluated on a combination of style, grammar, imagination, and substance. Responses that appear to have been written in haste or generated by AI may affect the admission decision.

If you have any questions or problems with the application process, please call 662-915-7294 or email honors@olemiss.edu. You may also contact our Coordinator of Recruitment and Admissions, Ms. Timera Rodgers, at tdrodger@olemiss.edu.

The Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College at the University of Mississippi invites students who did not enter the SMBHC as a freshman to join through the Honors Scholars Program. This program welcomes both transfer and current UM students. Through the Honors Scholars Program, students will become involved in research in their majors, take honors courses, and contribute to the larger society through community action. 

Admission Requirements

• A minimum of a 3.50 undergraduate GPA
• At least 45 earned college credit hours

Honors College Requirements

The Honors College has set forth challenging and beneficial requirements meant to encourage talented students to serve their communities, develop their own scholarly interests, and become more involved with the research pursuits of University faculty.  Specifically, the requirements are:

• Successful completion of the Honors Capstone
• Successful completion of at least one other Honors course
• Successful completion of the Community Action Component while a member of the SMBHC

The Honors Capstone

The Honors Capstone requirement encourages students either to develop their own scholarly interests or to become more involved with the research pursuits of University faculty.  The completion of this independent work will set you apart from other university students.  The most common Capstone experience is to do independent research with a faculty mentor in the junior year, and then write the results of that research as your thesis in the senior year.  

Benefits

Participants in the Honors Scholars Program have 24-hour access to the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors Center, which houses a computer lab, lounge, kitchen, study rooms, and classrooms.  With twenty-four hour access to the building, many students see the Honors Center as a place to socialize and as their “home away from home.”  They also have the advantage of priority registration.

Upon graduation, students who successfully complete the Honors Scholars Program will graduate as an Honors Scholar in his or her major (e.g. Honors Scholar in Biochemistry).  The student will participate in the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College commissioning ceremony, and the distinction of being an Honors Scholar will be noted on the student’s transcript.

Completed applications must be emailed to honors@olemiss.edu by 5:00pm the Monday prior to the first week of either the Fall or Spring semester.

Access the Honors Scholars application and Honors Scholars handbook here. 

Fall 2025 application deadline: August 18, 2025
Spring 2026 application deadline: January 12, 2026

Questions?

For questions related to the Honors Scholars Program, please contact Rebecca Oliver at rsoliver@olemiss.edu.