Honors College

Now recruiting students for the Fall 2025 Cohort

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 donor.

ALL ACCEPTED STUDENTS ARE GUARANTEED FULL IN-COUNTY TUITION SCHOLARSHIPS AFTER FINANCIAL AID IS APPLIED, AND THEY ARE AWARDED BOOKSTORE STIPENDS.
TWO FULL SCHOLARSHIPS ARE AVAILABLE TO INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS IN EACH COHORT.

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

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.

Available Honors-Designated Degrees

The Honors College now offers Honors-designated degrees approved by SUNY and the New York State Department of Education for the following curricula:

Additional Honors-Designated Degrees will be available soon.

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:

High school GPA of 3.5 or higher
Two letters of recommendation from high-school teachers and/or counselors
Achievements, awards, extracurricular activities, special talents
Personal statement and interview
Westchester Community College placement into college-level English and math
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:

Consistently demonstrate intellectual curiosity, active engagement and impeccable work ethic in and outside of the classroom
Maintain full-time status in order to complete the Honors Degree within two years
Maintain 3.5 GPA minimum overall and 3.5 GPA minimum in Honors courses
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

Application Guidelines for Fall 2025

All candidates applying to the Honors College must submit the application for admission to SUNY Westchester Community College as well as the Honors College Application with supporting documents.

Application Deadline for Fall 2025

The priority application deadline is Monday, March 10, 2025.

“Rolling admission” may be available based on seat availability. Contact the Honors College Director to confirm before applying.

Classes will begin on Tuesday, September 2, 2025.

STEPS TO APPLY:

STEP 1

Submit the Application for Admission to an Associate Degree or a Certificate Program online.
Email and letter notifications with Student ID# and next steps are sent to students approximately two weeks after applications are processed. If for any reason you do not receive your notification, you may visit the Admissions Office located on the 2^nd floor of the Administration Building during office hours to get your Student ID#.

STEP 2

Submit the Honors College Application online. Please note that you will need your nine-digit Student ID# in order to complete your Honors College application.

STEP 3

Arrange for two letters of recommendation from high school teachers who know you well. If you wish, one letter may be written by your counselor. These letters are confidential and must be submitted electronically by the recommenders themselves to mira.sakrajda@sunywcc.edu.

STEP 4

Arrange for your official high school transcript to be forwarded electronically to mira.sakrajda@sunywcc.edu

STEP 5

Take the mandatory Westchester Community College placement tests in the Testing and Assessment Center located in the Harold L. Drimmer Library/Learning Resource Center, Ground Floor. If you are exempt from testing, provide the Honors College Director with documentation that is the basis for the exemption.

Director of the Honors Program and College:

Dr. Mira Sakrajda
mira.sakrajda@sunywcc.edu
914-606-6472
LIB 319

Assistant Director of the Honors Program and College:

Dr. George Keteku
george.keteku@sunywcc.edu
914-606-6218
LIB 318