FAQs

Barrett, The Honors College is an umbrella college within ASU, meaning undergraduate students in any of ASU’s 400+ degree programs across the four Phoenix metropolitan campuses and ASU Online can potentially join the honors college.

Barrett is designed to complement and enhance, not replace, the overall ASU experience. Students complete a portion of the credits required for their university bachelor’s degree as honors credits, which can be earned in the classroom through required major courses or electives, and outside of the classroom through internships, research, and study abroad. 

Additionally, Barrett offers three-tiered advising support, dedicated faculty mentorship, unique honors opportunities, and distinctive honors residential communities at each of ASU’s four Phoenix metropolitan campuses (Downtown Phoenix, Polytechnic, Tempe, and West).

Barrett students get the best of both worlds - access to the massive resources and opportunities of ASU, while enjoying the close, personal attention of the dedicated Barrett faculty and staff. The customizable honors college curriculum allows students to delve deeper into their interests and helps our graduates stand out when applying for jobs, graduate programs, medical, or law school.

It is impossible to list every benefit students with different goals for college who are in various majors will find with Barrett. Therefore, we encourage prospective students and their families to spend some time exploring this website, including the Benefits of Barrett page, and join us for an in-person visit or virtual session visit to learn about the nuanced and many benefits our students receive.

For students who plan to attend Barrett in person at one of ASU’s four Phoenix metropolitan campuses (Downtown Phoenix, Polytechnic, Tempe, or West):

• Entry Point 1: High school seniors apply for Barrett Lower Division consideration. Lower Division is a four-year honors college experience. Students who took time off after high school, did not attend another college or university, and are entering ASU for the first time are also eligible for this entry point.
• Entry Point 2: Students in their first semester at ASU (or at another college or university) may join Barrett for their second semester via Lower Division application. Students must have at least three and a half academic years remaining in their ASU undergraduate degree program to be eligible for Barrett Lower Division consideration.
• Entry Point 3: Students who have completed approximately half of their undergraduate degree at ASU (or at another college or university) apply for Barrett Upper Division consideration. Students must have at least two academic years remaining in their ASU undergraduate degree program - approximately 60 credits - to be eligible for Barrett Upper Division consideration.

For students who plan to attend Barrett in person at one of ASU’s four Phoenix metropolitan campuses (Downtown Phoenix, Polytechnic, Tempe, or West), find application information for your student type:

• First-year student
• Current ASU student
• Transfer student

For students who plan to attend Barrett as an ASU Online student:

• Barrett Online is for students in an ASU Online undergraduate degree who have completed at least 24 college credits after high school graduation, have met ASU’s first-year composition requirement, and have at least 60 credits remaining until intended ASU graduation.
• Find application information on the Barrett Online Student page.

Prospective students can visit Barrett, The Honors College in person or virtually. First, determine which campus houses your intended major. Then register for a visit that works with your schedule at that campus.

In-person visits are scheduled through the ASU visit site. Students are encouraged to include both a general ASU tour and Barrett-specific session in their campus visit.

Live-hosted virtual Barrett visits are offered periodically each month. Register for a virtual session.

Barrett strives for its students to be challenged in ways that enrich the ASU experience, as opposed to simply adding more work and calling it rigor. Rather than just adding classes, honors college students take honors options in place of other classes required for their ASU degree program.

Honors credits still count as ASU credits toward the undergraduate degree(s) a student is pursuing. Students can earn honors credits by opting for honors versions of classes, working closely with professors on special projects, participating in research, holding internships, studying abroad, and more. Attend a Barrett Information Session and explore the Academics tab of our website to learn about the ways Barrett students customize their academic experience.

Honors classes encourage faculty mentorship and a deeper investigation into the topics of the course. There are many different types of honors classes with varying structures. Some honors classes are smaller than their regular counterparts, others are discussion-based rather than lecture-style, and some will incorporate elevated topics into the curriculum. Learn more about the various types of honors classes in a Barrett Information Session.

Absolutely! It is common for Barrett students to pursue multiple majors, minors, and/or certificates at ASU. Priority class registration for all Barrett students makes it easier to create the perfect class schedule each semester. Students select their primary major when applying to ASU and can add a second major, minor, or certificate through their academic advisor after they start at the university.

First-year ASU students 
First-year students first meet with their academic advisors during New Student Orientation Experience, and will then meet with their Honors Academic Advisor during their first semester of enrollment. Throughout their time at ASU, Barrett students will be contacted by major and Barrett advisors to schedule appointments appropriate to their progress towards degree completion. Prior to arriving on-campus, any questions should be directed to your ASU Admissions Representative or the Barrett Recruitment Office (barrettrecruitment@asu.edu).

Transfer students
Transfer students to ASU are expected to complete the New Transfer Student Orientation Experience. The program guides new university students through their enrollment steps, essential tasks, and includes academic advising. Transfer students also attend a special Barrett orientation and welcome, with information about the program provided in their honors college admission materials.

ASU Online students
ASU Online students receive a Success Coach – part personal advisor and part motivator. Your Success Coach provides a one-to-one coaching experience to guide you through balancing life, work and school. There is a special honors college orientation and welcome for Barrett Online students, with information about the program provided in their honors college admission materials.

There are three Barrett enrollment options, each with a specific set of graduation requirements.

Lower Division Curriculum 
Barrett students at one of the four ASU campuses in the Phoenix metropolitan area, who are pursuing the 4-year (Lower Division) honors experience, must successfully complete:

• 36 honors credits
• The Human Event sequence of courses
• An honors thesis/creative project
• And have a 3.25+ cumulative GPA at the time of graduation

Upper Division Curriculum 
Barrett students at one of the four ASU campuses in the Phoenix metropolitan area, who are pursuing the 2-year (Upper Division) honors experience, must successfully complete:

• 21 honors credits
• The History of Ideas course
• An honors thesis/creative project
• And have a 3.25+ cumulative GPA at the time of graduation

Online Curriculum 
While the eligibility requirements are different for ASU Online students interested in Barrett enrollment, for those who apply and are accepted the graduation requirements currently mirror those of our physical campus Upper Division students.

Even if a student does not graduate from Barrett, they can still graduate from ASU.

First, students must apply to ASU. After receiving and activating their ASURITE ID, students can then access the separate and free Barrett application. ASU admission is not necessary to start the Barrett application, but a student’s Barrett application will not be considered complete until ASU admission is conferred. All complete Barrett applications will move into review at the next available deadline. Application deadlines vary based on fall or spring semester interest and student type:

• Incoming first-year students
• Current ASU students
• Transfer Students
• ASU Online students

With each incoming class, the Barrett admissions committee strives to create a dynamic and well-rounded group of students who will contribute to every aspect of the honors college experience and benefit from this strong community.

In addition to the academic record, the admissions committee looks for students who exhibit leadership qualities, have special talents (e.g. musical, athletic, scientific, artistic), pursue interesting hobbies or avocations, enjoy unique personal achievements, have unusual life experiences and/or display community involvement.

We also have a deep interest in knowing why each applicant is interested in Barrett, The Honors College, including the ways they will both benefit from and contribute to the honors college community.

Only high school seniors with a complete honors college application in the Early Action or Regular Decision pools may request a re-review of their released Barrett decision. (Many students refer to a re-review request as an “appeal.”)

Successful re-review requests - those that result in the change of the original Barrett admissions committee decision - are rare and almost always present substantive new information that was not a part of a student's initial application materials. For example: since applying, you have improved your grades, seriously committed to a new activity you plan to continue into college, received recognition for a noteworthy achievement, etc.

Additional information regarding the fall 2023 request for re-review process is provided in the student's decision letter.

There is no minimum GPA requirement for admission. The Barrett application is quite comprehensive, allowing many different facets of each individual to be considered. The average GPA for transfer or continuing ASU students admitted to Barrett is a 3.60. For high school seniors, the average unweighted high school GPA is 3.81. The Barrett admissions committee always considers GPAs in the context of the program of study in which they were earned. Applicants should take great care to articulate their educational background on the application. The numbers provided above are averages. A GPA or test score at or above the average is not a guarantee of admission, nor does a GPA or test score below the average necessarily preclude a student from receiving an admission offer.

Barrett will continue to be ACT and SAT "test blind" for spring 2023 and fall 2023. This means Barrett will not consider ACT or SAT scores for 2023 honors college applications even for students who may wish to submit exam results to ASU. Barrett also does not consider SAT Subject Tests in our admissions process (which were permanently discontinued in 2021).

Students share their Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) test results on the Barrett application, as well as indicate instances where test-sitting cancellations impacted their plans to complete an AP or IB examination.

International students whose native language is not English and who did not attend a school where the language of instruction was English must submit the results of an English language proficiency examination (e.g. TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo) to the central ASU Admission Services office in order to be considered for ASU and subsequently Barrett admission. Barrett will obtain from ASU Admission Services the appropriate documents for an international student to complete the honors college application file.

ASU tuition is the same for Barrett students. Like most colleges at the university, Barrett charges a fee which goes directly toward developing and supporting the unique honors experience of each student. Currently, the Barrett fee is $1,000 per semester. Your housing and meal plan costs may differ as a Barrett student, depending on which options you select. Barrett offers a variety of scholarships, most of which have deadlines on Feb. 1 each year. We do not want the additional cost of the Barrett fee to be a hindrance to any student with financial need, so be sure to carefully review all available funding opportunities and contact us for questions.

There are essentially three types of scholarships:

• Offered by the university
• Offered by the academic colleges at ASU which house each student’s degree programs
• Barrett scholarships

The Barrett scholarship applications for most 2023-2024 Barrett awards will open on Nov. 1, 2022, and close on Feb. 1, 2023. In addition to submitting the appropriate scholarship applications, students must be admitted to Barrett by March 10, 2023 for their 2023-2024 Barrett scholarship applications to be considered. Be sure to apply to Barrett accordingly to ensure a decision by Mar. 10.

Yes! ASU automatically awards many incoming students merit scholarships through the New American University (NAMU) scholarship program. These awards are available to students regardless of their participation in Barrett.

The FAFSA is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, a tool that assesses a student’s financial need. ASU will offer students a combination of grants, work-study funding, and loans each year based on demonstrated need from the FAFSA. The FAFSA opens on Oct. 1 and ASU’s priority filing date is Jan. 15 each year. Aid is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis so students are encouraged to apply early.

Barrett recommends all students to submit a FAFSA for each academic year. Some ASU scholarships require that a FAFSA is on file with the university for scholarship consideration. Students can always choose to decline funding offers.

All ASU first-year students live on campus, whether they are honors college students or not. Barrett offers a distinctive four-year residential experience. Barrett students live in the honors community at the ASU campus of their major for their first two years, and many choose to stay all four years to take advantage of the world-class amenities and on-campus convenience. 

Barrett students who enroll in the honors college through the Upper Division pathway (2-year honors experience) or who are ASU Online students have the option to live in the honors college community, space permitting. 

ASU guarantees housing for all incoming first-year students, and for all second-year Barrett students. On-campus housing is available on a first-come, first-served basis for Barrett students after their second year of college.

There is a unique Barrett residential community at all four of ASU’s Phoenix metropolitan campuses. Incoming first-year Barrett students live in the honors community at the ASU campus of their major for their first two years:

• Downtown
• Polytechnic
• Tempe
• West 

There are several housing options for Barrett students at each campus. Your housing and meal plan costs may be different as a Barrett student, depending on which option you select within Barrett compared to the non-honors options available to your major.