Honors College

The SUNY WCC Honors College allows select groups of 18 top-performing high school graduates to complete a two-year HONORS-DESIGNATED ASSOCIATE DEGREE in an academically challenging environment as they are mentored to transfer to renowned universities for two additional years of Bachelor’s Degree studies.

The Honors College is funded by the Westchester Community College Foundation through a gift from a generous anonymous donor.

The SUNY WCC Honors College was launched in the fall of 2017. Since then, ten more cohorts of outstanding high-school graduates have become part of the Honors College. Congratulations to all Honors College Scholars!

The fall of 2026 marks the tenth anniversary of the Honors College!

The Honors College faculty consists of award-winning, exceptionally caring professors. In addition to intellectually engaging courses which are designed to nurture critical thinking and independent in-depth exploration of meaningful concepts and current issues, students enjoy exciting co-curricular opportunities, such as summer study abroad at Cambridge University in England, academic publications, conferences/symposia, internships, and numerous leadership and applied learning options. The intimate 18-student-cohort concept fosters camaraderie and long-term friendships. The selected scholars attended tuition/fee free with a generous book stipend.

Admission Criteria

With only 18 seats available, applicants to the Liberal Arts Honors Degree curriculum are chosen on a highly competitive basis. The individualized, holistic admission review process takes different factors into account, including:

1. High school GPA of 3.5 or higher
2. Two letters of recommendation from high-school teachers and/or counselors
3. Achievements, awards, extracurricular activities, special talents
4. Personal statement and interview
5. Westchester Community College placement into college-level English and math
6. Upon admission, all eligible students must submit FAFSA and, if needed, file necessary forms to ensure in-county tuition rate.

Good Standing and Graduation Requirements

Students admitted to the Honors College are required to:

1. Consistently demonstrate intellectual curiosity, active engagement and impeccable work ethic in and outside of the classroom
2. Maintain full-time status in order to complete the Honors Degree within two years
3. Maintain 3.5 GPA minimum overall and 3.5 GPA minimum in Honors courses
4. Earn a minimum of 24 Honors credits (a minimum of 6 Honors credits per semester) as part of the total SUNY WCC Liberal Arts curriculum requirements