Unlocking the Power of Academic Honors in College Applications

Among the many criteria used in holistic admissions at leading universities, the role that honors play, especially academic honors, is often overlooked. Our experiences with top applicants and our analysis of application data demonstrate that academic honors matter, playing a pivotal role the admissions process. In this blog post we’ll walk you through what academic honors are, offer tips for obtaining them and maximizing their impact, and share a curated list of outstanding honors programs in the US and worldwide ideal for secondary students.

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Academic honors and competitions play a pivotal role in enhancing college applications, offering students the opportunity to distinguish themselves in a highly competitive landscape. At Crimson Education, we understand the significance of these achievements for students’ overall growth and aspirations but also for the unique advantage they offer for admissions.

In this post you'll learn more about academic honors, the value they add to college applications, and how to find and leverage honors for an edge in the admissions process.

What Are Academic Honors?

In the context of college admissions, an academic honor is any achievement or commendation that a student receives from an organization or institution. This definition is intentionally broad to encompass a variety of recognitions, both academic and non-academic, such as:

• Academic Awards: Scholarships, acceptances to elite programs, high grades in challenging courses.
• Competition Results: Performance in local, regional, national, or international contests.
• Music and Sports Achievements: Recognition in musical performances or athletic events.
• Other Recognitions: Community service awards, leadership positions, and other notable accomplishments.

Why Are Academic Honors Important?

It's easy to underestimate the impact that listing honors on a college application can have on students’ chances for admission.

When applying to any target and reach schools that are highly competitive, applicants are part of large cohorts where high test scores and exceptional GPAs are the norm, but this is exactly where honors come into play. Honors can provide unique differentiation that help a student stand out.

Honors reflect more singular achievements, something which sets honors apart from a reported GPA or reported test score when it comes to adding value to applications. They also can help a student shore up an otherwise weak part of an application.

Here are some key statistics highlighting why honors matter so much:

• 90% of students with Ivy League acceptances had 5 honors.
• 38% of those honors were at an international level.
• 31% of those honors were at a national level.

Honors are not just US-focused either; most competitive students for Oxbridge and G5 also have competition honors to discuss, or that inspire more compelling and memorable UCAS Personal Statements.

Quantitative and Qualitative Impact on Applications

Crimson's data analysis reveals that nearly 90% of students accepted to Ivy League schools included five awards or similar honors in their applications.

Remember, these are not always international honors — and don't need to be international. Regional and school-level awards are also valuable.

Honors can enhance a student's application quantitatively — by increasing the number of tangible achievements, and qualitatively, because of the growth experiences, demonstrated commitments, and accomplishments the honors represent.

How Honors Improve Student Profiles

As most students know, the key pillars of a holistic admissions process and applicant profile are academics, extracurriculars and leadership, and admissions essays.

Honors can enhance all of these pillars, which is why they can offer such a hidden advantage for admissions.

Honors can elevate the extracurricular pillar — when awards are received for a competition or for excellence in an extracurricular activity. And, academic honors also overlap with the academic pillar of the student’s profile. This is important because academic achievement is typically the most important pillar whenever students are applying to highly selective universities.

Academic-oriented honors can also reflect intellectual drive and curiosity. While not so quantifiable on the application, these traits can stand out for admissions officers as strong predictors of academic success and initiative-taking.

Finally, don’t forget that honors are often the culmination of formative experiences and personal commitments that can inspire, enliven, and add depth to a student's admissions essays, and to UCAS Personal Statements for students applying to UK institutions.

Put this all together and you can see that academic honors in particular can boost each key pillar of a holistic application: academics, extracurriculars, and reflective essays.

Honors vs. Competitions: What’s the Difference?

Competitions are just one way to earn honors, but honors can also be earned from other achievements: for a consistent record of academic achievement (National Merit Scholar, School Honor Roll), for an outstanding level of acquired skill (winning a medal in a track and field event or in wrestling), or for dedication to community service or demonstrated leadership (teammate of the year award).

However, when you want to stand out as an applicant for highly selective universities, honors earned from participation in a rigorous academic competition are likely to have a greater impact for admissions.

Therefore, integrating competitive activities into extracurriculars can be a powerful approach to earning the kinds of singular honors that differentiate a student from other applicants.

Academic competitions, in particular, can deliver many benefits — helping students build professional skills and a stronger academic profile (even when they don't garner a top award or honor), and further boosting their academic profile when they do earn honors.

Misconceptions vs. Reality

One of the biggest fears or hesitations students may struggle with when deciding whether to pursue honors and awards, or any competitive extracurricular, is the perception that the effort could result in "failure" — as in not winning an award or honor. The reality, however, is that never taking the risk to begin with often leads to the worst outcome: if nothing is tried, surely nothing will be achieved.

Nonetheless, some students will find risk-taking a real challenge. Others will convince themselves that competitions are only for top students or require extraordinary skills.

With this in mind, let’s take a look at common misconceptions surrounding the quest for academic honors, and what's required to "succeed" in academic competitions, and dispel these myths.

Understanding the Honors Landscape

While students who consistently strive for excellence may find themselves honor recipients without pursuing any strategic approach, it can make sense to step back and survey the honors landscape in order to identify the best opportunities.

Below you’ll find a list of respected, high-profile honors derived from strategist insights at Crimson Education and from quantifiable data across large samples of successful Crimson applicants admitted to top US and UK universities.

The list offers an opportunity for thinking strategically about with honors to pursue.

One possible approach is to consider what kinds of experiences or experiential gaps matter most, related to character development, to what your target schools are looking for in applicant profiles, or for enhancing academic skills.

This approach should help students choose the best honors and competitions for their goals and interests, put them on a path to more personally rewarding outcomes, and helps them align their choices with other aspects of their applicant profile, in order to achieve a more complete and coherent application narrative.

Curated List of Top Honors

National & International Academic Honors

• International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Honors – Recognizes IB students with high scores, open to IB students worldwide.
• Cambridge Outstanding Learner Awards – Recognizes students for exceptional achievement on Cambridge exams around the world.
• AP Scholar Awards – Given to students excelling in AP exams, with multiple award categories or levels, and including a small number of unique awards for non-US test-takers.
• National Merit Scholarship Program – Recognizes top PSAT scorers in the U.S.
• Bank of America Student Leaders Program — National Leaders program emphasizing leadership and community service with selected students invited to participate in paid civic and business leadership internships and a summit in Washington D.C.
• TTU Clark Scholars Program — Highly selective academic enrichment program at Texas Tech University for scholars across diverse disciplines. Open to US and international applicants who are juniors or seniors in high school (must be 17 years of age by program start date).
• Coca-Cola Scholars – Achievement-based scholarships recognizing US high school seniors based on leadership and community service. Exceptionally selective.
• Davidson Fellows Scholarship — Honors awarded to US citizens and permanent residents under the age of 18 for achievement in a range of disciplines (teams of two also eligible).
• RISE Global Winners – Schmidt Futures & Rhodes Trust — Recognizes students ages 15–17 for leadership and service in social innovation.

Subject-Specific Academic Honors

• MIT Research Scientist Institute — An intensive summer science and engineering program in theory and research for academically accomplished high school juniors (PSAT, SAT, ACT, AP exams used to qualify applicants).
• Publishing in The Concord Review —  The publication reviews submitted essays written in English on topics in the social sciences by secondary students. Because of the high level of selectivity (around 5% of all submissions are accepted for publication), this honor is deemed as one that frequently helps students get into the very best universities in the US and UK.
• MIT Women’s Technology Program (WTP) — A highly selective (~6% acceptance rate) summertime academic intensive for beginning engineering skills; competitive admission process for women with strong foundational skills in math and science.
• Scholastic Art & Writing Awards (Arts & Literature) – Prestigious recognition in 28 categories of art and writing, for US-based teens 13 and older in grades 7–12.
• Congressional App Challenge (Computer Science) – Recognizes students for innovative app development and coding skills. Open to US middle school and high school students (eligibility may vary by region).
• National Latin Exam Scholarships (Classics) — Open to qualifying high school seniors at participating secondary schools in the US and worldwide and who are committed to taking additional Latin or Greek courses during their first year of college.
• Regeneron Science Talent Search Scholars (STEM) – One of the top science research awards in the U.S. Open to US high school seniors.
• High School Honors Science Program at Michigan State University (HSHSP) (STEM) — Highly selective (5%) summer research program open to US citizens and permanent residents.
• UCSB Research Mentorship Program (RMP) — Students qualify for research mentorships across a wide range of available mentorships spanning science, humanities, and social sciences fields. Students may be eligible to share their research experience in competitions, college applications, or to qualify for other academic activities or honors. Acceptance rate ~10%; open to US and international applicants in grades 10 and 11.
• National Junior Science & Humanities Symposium (JSHS) Competitions (STEM) — Thousands of US high school students participate annually, but only about 3% qualify to make presentations and compete for awards at the national level.
• Eastern Music Festival — Summer study programs for talented young musicians, and some competitive activities offering awards. For students 14 years and older, but age requirements may vary by program/instrument.

Leadership & Service-Based Honors

• National Honor Society (NHS) – Recognizes students for academics, leadership, service, and character. Open to qualifying secondary students attending a school with an active NHS chapter.
• National Student Leadership Conference (NSLC) — Students are often invited and evaluated based on academic performance and teacher recommendations. Offers numerous career-focused summer programs for students grades 10–12, ages 14–18.
• President’s Volunteer Service Award – Given to students who demonstrate significant community service. Open to various age categories with awards for individuals and groups.
• Notre Dame Leadership Seminars — Selective leadership training program at no cost to selected participants. Open to US and international students finishing their junior year based on a competitive admissions process. Students qualify to compete for selection based on SAT/ACT scores, and English language proficiency test scores required for international applicants attending non-English language schools.
• Wharton Leadership in the Business World (LBW) (Focus on Business & Engineering) — Moderate to highly selective program open to students in the US and around the world (~15–20% acceptance rate).

School & Regional Honors

• Valedictorian/Salutatorian Titles – Honors that recognize students at the top of their graduating class academically.
• State Governor’s Schools & Honor Programs – Recipients have an opportunity to take part in intensive summer programs for top students in various subjects. Eligibility criteria vary by state and program; typically for academically high-achieving high school students.
• Magna Cum Laude / Summa Cum Laude (Latin Honors) – School-based academic honors in recognition of exceptional academic achievement; criteria vary by institution.

Leveraging Academic Competitions for Honors

For a curated list of academic competitions and to learn more about them, check out:

Academic Competitions: Our Top Picks for Elevating Your College Admissions Game Plan

For more personalized school- and program-specific guidance, reach out to a Crimson Education admissions strategist for support.

Upcoming Competitions for App Year Students

For students currently in their application year, it's not too late to participate in competitions that can enhance applications. Here are some upcoming competitions of note — with many quick wins still in reach in the final months before ED/EA/Oxbridge deadlines.

Social Science & Humanities:

• Publishing in The Concord Review: Submissions are accepted year-round on quarterly deadlines for publication in upcoming issues.
• St Hugh’s College Essay Competitions: Submission due 26th July, results announced in September.
• LSESU Economics Society Essay Competition: Submission due 30th July, results announced in September.
• Trinity College Essay Prizes: Submission due 1st August, results announced in September.
• Marshall Society Economics Essay Competition: Submission due 11th August, results announced in August.
• Harvard International Review Academic Writing Contest: Submission due 31st August, defense day 5th October, results announced in December.

STEM:

• Biochemical Society Communication Prize: Submission due 21st August, results announced in November-December.
• Congressional App Challenge : 2025 Application deadline is in October 2025.
• UKMT Senior Maths Challenge: Submission due 1st October (school registration by 10th September), results announced in October-November.
• Caribou Calcrostics: Submission due 25th September, results announced in October-November.
• Hackerearth Hackathons: Various submission dates, results announced on a rolling basis.
• DevPost Hackathons: Various submission dates, results announced on a rolling basis.

Leadership & Service

• President’s Volunteer Service Award : Applications accepted August 15, 2025 through September 11, 2025.
• Notre Dame Leadership Seminars: Recommended to apply by March 1st, but applications accepted on a rolling basis based on availability.
• Coca-Cola Scholars: 2025-26 program-year applications open through September 2025

Leveraging Academic Competitions for Honors

Academic competitions offer one of the best ways to garner honors while also fostering academic enrichment and showcasing strong academic qualifications on college applications.

The good news is that academic competitions vary widely, from Olympiads and essay contests, to case competitions and hackathons  — giving students lots of choices, based on their passions, goals, and interests.

Likewise, students can compare academic competitions in the light of their own personal preferences and aptitudes as they consider the many different formats offered and kinds of challenges presented:

1. Olympiads: Exam-based competitions like math or science Olympiads are among the most popular. They typically have multiple rounds, starting from school level and advancing to state, national, and international levels. Examples include the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) and the International Biology Olympiad (IBO).
2. Case Competitions: These are presentation-based competitions where students solve real-world problems. Participants usually need to create a business plan or an innovative solution. An example is the Blue Ocean Entrepreneurship Competition, where students present business pitches through video submissions.
3. Essay Competitions: These contests focus on writing skills and often require participants to submit essays on specified topics. Examples include the John Locke Institute Essay Competition, which covers a range of topics including philosophy, politics, and economics, and the DNA Day Essay Contest, which focuses on genetics.
4. Research and Product-Based Competitions: These competitions involve creating and presenting research projects or products. They are often seen in science fairs and engineering contests. Examples include the Regeneron Science Talent Search and various robotics competitions.
5. Hackathons: Coding-based competitions where participants work on specific problems, usually within a limited time frame. Examples include Kaggle competitions, which are data science contests hosted by industry giants like Google and Amazon, and local hackathons hosted by universities or tech companies.
6. Speech and Debate: These competitions focus on public speaking and argumentative skills. Participants prepare and present speeches or engage in debates on various topics. Examples include the World Schools Debating Championships (WSDC) and local Model United Nations (MUN) events.

Swinging for the Fences: Top Competitions for Ivy League Applications

Finally, major awards, honors, and competitions like IMO (International Mathematical Olympiad), ISEF (International Science & Engineering Fair), or the John Locke Institute Essay Competition offer exceptional prestige.

In fact, any honor related to international level recognition or competition — or even state and national competition awards — can help an individual student truly stand out, even in a highly competitive admissions setting.

Earning and Maximizing Academic Honors

When it comes to earning honors for service, leadership, character, or academic excellence, students may do well to apply the axiom life is the interview.

In other words, striving for excellence and integrity consistently — across a range of life choices, commitments, actions, and social interactions — is every student's secret weapon for earning and maximizing academic honors, and for lifelong success!

Here are some simple and practical steps students can put into practice to position themselves to earn or compete for honors as they look ahead to applying for college and beyond:

• Maintain strong academic performance (consistently) — Honors often require a high cumulative GPA and may also be based on standardized test scores.
• Demonstrate commitments to positive leadership and character — Many honors (e.g., NHS, Presidential Awards) consider a student’s ongoing record of service and leadership.
• Select extracurricular activities strategically: Extracurriculars with a strong academic orientation will put you on a path to earning the kinds of honors that could have the biggest impact on college applications.
• Apply for scholarships tied to honors programs — Many universities provide scholarships for AP Scholars, National Merit finalists, etc. Learning more about these opportunities early can motivate you to succeed and help you focus on key qualifications or criteria for recipients.
• Highlight honors strategically in college applications — Use the Common App Honors Section wisely by listing the most prestigious awards. There’s no need to boast, just provide admissions officers with the kind of information they need to evaluate your application fully in a holistic admissions process.

Where To Report Academic Honors on College Applications

Most college applications, particularly the Common Application, have a dedicated section for reporting academic honors. Here’s how to navigate it:

1. Common Application Section: The honors section in the Common App is located under the “Education” section. Here, students can report up to five honors starting from the ninth grade. It’s essential to select “yes” when asked if you want to report any honors related to academic achievements.
2. Input Fields: The application will ask for the title of the honor, the grade level(s) when it was received, and the level of recognition (school, state, regional, national, international). You can select multiple grade levels and recognition levels as applicable.
3. Additional Information Section: The word limit has recently been reduced from 650 words to 300. We recommend students do not use this section to make a longer list of activities. Proper uses of this section might include if a student needs to inform colleges about a significant skill or achievement, or an area of substantial commitment, when these do not align with the categories provided elsewhere, or to explain unusual circumstances that are highly important and relevant. Check with your Crimson advisor for further clarification and guidance.

Final Thoughts

Competitions and honors offer a hidden advantage for admissions by helping set an applicant apart in ways that can be hard to do with grades, test scores, and other kinds of extracurricular experiences — especially in highly competitive applicant pools. 

And, the learning curve students experience by pursuing honors can have exceptional intrinsic value — regardless of other outcomes. 

Students who get encouragement and have access to additional support and guidance, when needed, are likely to get the most from these kinds of opportunities, further increasing the benefits — both for personal growth and for future admissions efforts. 

Thanks to Crimson Education, expert guidance and support are just one free consultation away! 

So why leave anything to chance when the stakes are so high? 

After all, our results speak for themselves… With the support of our all-in-one service model, powerful Crimson App, and highly personalized approach, Crimson students get into the Ivy League and other top 15 universities at over 6x the rate of non-Crimson students. 

For more information on upcoming webinars and how to prepare for competitions, or for any questions about Crimson services, visit the Crimson Education Launchpad and book a free consultation with our strategists.