Shackouls Honors College | Office of Admissions and Scholarships

Shackouls Honors College

Judy and Bobby Shackouls
Honors College

The Shackouls Honors College offers special academic and social experiences to students who show promise of meeting high academic standards. Members of the Shackouls Honors College enjoy the following benefits:

  • Priority class registration status
  • Honors living-learning community 
  • Working side-by-side with MSU's cutting-edge research faculty
  • Exciting study abroad opportunities
  • Freedom to explore and challenge themselves in small classes taught by outstanding professors
  • Special Honors distinction on their transcript
  • Individualized mentoring and help applying for national and international fellowships and awards

Shackouls Honors College

Becoming a Member of the Shackouls Honors College

Incoming Freshmen

Invitation Procedure:

All incoming freshmen who have scored at least a 30 (superscore) or higher on the ACT and have a GPA of 3.75 or above will be invited to join the Shackouls Honors College. After you have been admitted to Mississippi State University, you will receive an email from the Honors College inviting you to become a member. To accept your invitation, follow the instructions on the email. You can also access your invite by visiting the apply page while logged into your MyState account.

Holistic Application Procedure:

Students who do not meet the automatic invitation criteria are also encouraged to apply to the Shackouls Honors College. The application consists of an essay and two letters of recommendation from your teachers. You may access the application after you have been admitted to Mississippi State University by clicking here.

The priority deadline for Honors application is Dec. 1, 2024. Applications submitted after the deadline will be reviewed through May 2025.

Transfer Students

Invitation Procedure:

Community college transfer students who are members in good standing of Phi Theta Kappa and have a college GPA of at least 3.75 or higher will be invited to join the Shackouls Honors College after they have been admitted into Mississippi State University. After you have been admitted to Mississippi State University, you will receive an email from the Honors College inviting you to become a member. To accept your invitation, follow the instructions on the email. You can also access your invite by visiting the apply page while logged into your MyState account.

Holistic Application Procedure:

Students who do not meet the automatic invitation criteria are also encouraged to apply to the Shackouls Honors College. The application consists of an essay and two letters of recommendation from your teachers. You may access the application after you have been admitted to Mississippi State University by clicking here.