Becoming a James Scholar
There are two ways to join the College of AHS James Scholar Honors Program. Students are either admitted to the College as a James Scholar (as an incoming freshmen or as an on-campus or an off-campus transfer student) or eligible AHS students may go through the Self-Nomination process.
ADMITTED JAMES SCHOLARS
Freshmen
Incoming freshmen in the top 10% of the admitted class (by major), are invited to participate in the James Scholar Program as a part of the admission process. Eligibility is determined after a review of individual high school GPA and ACT and/or SAT scores.
Transfer students
Incoming transfer students with a minimum 3.65 cumulative grade point average from their previous institution are invited to participate in the James Scholar Honors Program as part of the admission process.
SELF-NOMINATION
AHS students who would like to begin the self-nomination process to become a James Scholar must meet the following requirements:
- Have an Illinois cumulative GPA of a 3.50 or higher
- Have completed at least one semester on campus
- Not be a 2nd semester junior or beyond, unless the student has received permission to remain an undergraduate for a fifth year.
Provided those requirements are met, students can beginning the Self-Nomination process during the first 4 weeks of the fall or spring semester. PLEASE NOTE: Students beginning the Self-Nomination process in the spring semester, must complete 2 Honors Plan to earn James Scholar designation for the academic year. The process is as follows:
- Student meets eligibility requirements above
- Student completes an Honors Plan (or two)
- Student successfully completes the honors project(s)
- Student has a semester Illinois GPA of 3.50 (and yearly Illinois GPA of 3.50 if Self-Nominating in the spring semester)
- Student receives confirmation email from the College
- Student has the full benefits of being a James Scholar starting the next semester
For questions, feel free to contact Dr. Tonya Pulley, AHS Honors Program Coordinator, or Dr. Gretchen Adams, AHS Honors Dean.