Prospective First-Years

How do I apply?

Incoming freshpeople applying to the University Honors Program must first be admitted to the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Once they have an NUID, they can then access and complete the Honors Program application:

1. Sign into AcademicWorks, the University's Course Management system.
2. Complete and submit the General Application Questions for university-wide scholarships.
3. After completing the General Application Questions, you should be able to find the University Honors Program application under your "recommended opportunities". Then you just need to complete the two essays there, and those essays will also be used (if you are eligible) for consideration for the Distinguished and Honors Merit scholarships (criteria for those awards are set by funding agreements and vary across the awards--but applying to Honors ensures eligible students will get full consideration). Honors scholarship applications need to be completed by February 1st, 2025.

So what is the application?

We ask you to complete one short (less than 100 words) and one longer (250-500 words) essay: you just have to be yourself in these essays. We suggest you write them offline and save copies, so that you can edit and keep copies. The same essays will also be used for Honors scholarship opportunities (where eligible) too. All the pieces are submitted through AcademicWorks, the university's management system.

I have submitted my application—what happens next?

The selection committee reviews applications to the University Honors Program after the February 1, 2025 deadline--and then on a rolling basis. Students can expect to hear from the University Honors Program after that February 1st deadline--usually by the end of March at the latest--about whether or not they have been admitted to the program for Fall 2025. Please don't hesitate to email us on unohonors@unomaha.edu if you are wondering what's going on.

Applicants for the Distinguished and Honors Merit Scholarships heard from Honors in March 2025; the deadline for those scholarships was February 1, 2025.

Deadline

The University Honors Program has soft deadlines, which means we accept applications when we have class seats available. Fullest scholarship consideration at UNO is given to applications received by February 1.

The Honors Program accepts applications as long as we still have seats available in our classes, so do apply and try out Honors!

Holistic Application Approach

UNO's Honors Program takes a holistic approach to applications, so the essay and short answer about your unique qualities really matter as we consider them alongside other data, including but not limited to:

• Evidence of advanced writing and critical thinking skills (demonstrated in an essay)
• Evidence of intellectual, academic, and community engagement and commitment (demonstrated in essay/resume)
• Composite ACT or combined SAT
• High school class rank (if available) and high school GPA

Shadow Day

Each spring semester, we offer a Shadow Day experience for high school students interested in the Honors Program. Participants have the opportunity to come to campus and explore the options with a current UNO student by attending classes, eating in the Student Center, and much more!

We enjoyed hosting students at our recent version of Shadow Day on March 25, 2025. We are already planning the event for next year! We will be in touch with full details after you have been admitted to UNO for the 2026 academic year.