IWU’s John Wesley Honors College is a “ Romans 12:2 ” learning community. This means we are devoted to an intensive and creative exploration of Christian truth that nurtures lived wisdom, transformed character, and a tangible life calling. Our paths of learning grapple practically with life’s big questions and complexities so that our graduates can pursue lives of thoughtful Christian discernment in whatever careers and circumstances they eventually inhabit.
Established in 1998, IWU’s John Wesley Honors College ranks as one of the most accomplished honors colleges in the country. Our professors and honors humanities curriculum have earned a national reputation for graduating students capable of translating the riches of the Christian liberal arts tradition into flourishing lives of discernment, virtue, and redemptive impact.
OUR MISSION
The John Wesley Honors College is an intentional learning community established to model and enrich IWU’s commitment to a Christian liberal arts education that nurtures lived wisdom. We thus strive for redemptive excellence by preparing our graduates to discern and inhabit God’s truth, to grow into the liberating virtues of Christ’s goodness, and to embody the sanctifying beauty of God’s reconciling love in a hurting world.
Please note that the John Wesley Honors College requires a separate application in addition to your Indiana Wesleyan University application.
Complete the appropriate JWHC application by following the link here: Online Application
Recommendations are submitted electronically with this form: JWHC Recommendation Form
Two recommendations are required for applicants to the John Wesley Scholars and Mary C. Dodd Honors Program. One of those recommendations must be from someone who knows your academic abilities well such as a high school teacher.
Applicants to the Luther Lee Scholars Program are invited to submit up to two recommendations from those who know them well, but recommendations will not be a key factor in the decision process.
As a final part of the application process, applicants are invited to participate in a JWHC interview. Admission interviews for students seeking to enter the Honors College will be held in-person on specific dates provided later, or can be conducted virtually.
| JWHC Admissions Spotlight Days | Apply By | Notified By |
|---|---|---|
| Spotlight Day # 1: Friday, Nov. 3, 2023 | Oct. 22nd | Dec. 8, 2023 |
| Spotlight Day # 2: Friday, Feb. 2, 2024 | Jan. 21 | Mar. 1, 2024 |
| Rolling Admissions for virtual interviews | Ongoing | Ongoing |
*Note: Students are welcome to attend a spotlight day prior to applying to the JWHC! In this event, the JWHC office will line up a virtual interview after we receive a student’s application.
The JWHC enrolls incoming first-year students, or underclassman transfer students. See below for the distinct honors programs available.
| Honors Program | Eligibility Criteria |
|---|---|
| John Wesley Scholars (for High School Seniors) |
Meet ONE of the following:
|
| Luther Lee Scholars (for High School Seniors) |
Student meets honors criteria above (such as a GPA of 3.7 or higher) in addition to the following criteria:
Learn more about the LLS full tuition cap-off scholarship. |
| Mary C. Dodd Scholars (for Transfer Students) |
|
Students who are interested in joining the JWHC's creative, interdisciplinary community of learners must complete an application process that is separate from applying to Indiana Wesleyan University. The JWHC invites applications from:
Prospective students who do not meet the admission criteria may petition to apply to the John Wesley Scholars, Luther Lee Scholars, or Mary C. Dodd Honors Programs. Such students should submit an e-mail to jwhc.admissions@indwes.edu communicating why their academic preparation, intellectual character, and vocational objectives make them strong candidates for admission into an honors learning community. If a student's petition is approved by the Honors College Admissions Committee, then he or she will be invited to apply to the John Wesley Honors College.
Questions about the application or interview process may be directed to jwhc.admissions@indwes.edu or 765-677-1441.
All students accepted into the John Wesley Scholars program receive a four-year scholarship from the Honors College.
These Honors College scholarships are distributed annually. Information about the Luther Lee Scholars program, its co-curricular opportunities, and the scholarships awarded can be found at the Luther Lee Scholars Program page. The scholarships are awarded in addition to general academic merit scholarships.
All students accepted into the John Wesley Scholars program receive a four-year scholarship from the Honors College. These Honors College scholarships are distributed annually as follows:
Information about the Luther Lee Scholars program, its co-curricular opportunities, and the scholarships awarded can be found at the Luther Lee Scholars Program page
scholarships are awarded in addition to general academic merit scholarships. Students who are awarded the scholarship are expected to remain members in good standing within the John Wesley Scholars program and participate in student leadership on campus throughout their undergraduate years.
To be eligible to participate in the scholarship competition, students must first apply to the John Wesley Scholars Program, an Honors College program for incoming freshmen. From among the applicants, the most qualified students will be selected to interview for the program and participate in the scholarship competition. Interview dates for 2021 include Friday, January 29, and Friday, February 19; applications are due January 15 and February 5, respectively.
Students will be evaluated based on (1) an interview with faculty members and a current Honors College student, (2) participation in a class discussion with an Honors College faculty member and other applicants, and 3) an essay composed onsite. To prepare for the class discussion, students are encouraged to read Plato's "Allegory of the Cave," Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 13 as the basis for a conversation on the nature and purpose of education. Award recipients will be notified shortly after the second competition.
The Admission Interview Day is an all-day event; students traveling from out of town are welcome to arrive the evening before for a few optional events and may stay with a current Honors College student if desired. Parent activities are also planned during the competition. Additional details about the day will be sent with an email invitation to all those who are asked to participate.
For more information about the Admission Interview Days, please email jwhc.admissions@indwes.edu or call 765-677-1799.
To be eligible to participate, complete your application to the John Wesley Honors College today!
As a nationally renowned community of Christian liberal arts learning, IWU’s John Wesley Honors College offers eager, inquisitive students the rare opportunity to pursue academic excellence aimed at cultivating discernment, character, and a creative passion for God’s redemptive work in the world. The goal of a JWHC education is to transform how our graduates think and live so that, whatever career they eventually pursue, they will do so as an expression of a broader and deeper life calling that embodies God’s truth, goodness, and beauty.
Students participate in the John Wesley Honors College through one of three honors programs:
Our groundbreaking Honors Humanities major offers a unique general education curriculum, which provides preparation for a more holistic and meaningful integration of a student’s major field of study into his or her faith and life. Because the Honors Humanities major fulfills their general education requirements, John Wesley Scholars and Luther Lee Scholars have plenty of flexibility in their coursework to permit pursuits such as additional majors or minors, studying abroad, intercollegiate athletics, and/or musical performance groups.
At the heart of the Honors Humanities major is a sequence of Christian Liberal Learning and Life Calling Seminars focused on life’s big questions (What is truth? What is the good life? What is beauty? What is humanity? Who is our neighbor? How then shall we live?). Ultimately, every human being—whether consciously or not—lives his or her life as a response to these fundamental questions. In the course of these seminars, students explore the nature of these big questions, consider ways historic Christianity and our contemporary culture have dealt with them, and develop the skills of analysis and discernment necessary to become thoughtful agents of God’s truth, goodness, and love.
Through Honors Humanities, students likewise gain a strong interdisciplinary grasp of how history and culture have shaped our present age so they can think more critically about contemporary issues within their broader contexts. Unique coursework devoted to rhetoric, writing, Scripture, and classical literature nurtures a reflective imagination and a capacity to read texts, people, situations, and events charitably and insightfully.
Working collaboratively with faculty mentors, students also hone their analytical and communication skills either by developing their own research, creative, or service-learning projects or by contributing to a faculty-led project.
Finally, students discover how to translate their classroom learning into the habits of their everyday lives through a series of Honors Practica in Christian Calling (Called to Love, Creativity, Contemplation, Reconciliation, and Social Holiness). Christian liberal arts learning is about developing an intentional and holistic way of life. By learning spiritual disciplines and personal practices that have animated the lives of many great Christians through the centuries, the practica help students to develop a practical understanding of how the logic of Christian truth should translate into good lives in the midst of everyday circumstances and personal interactions with God, others, and the broader creation. In this way, the theological truth and beauty of God’s redeeming love evolves from mere head knowledge to the practical impact of lived wisdom.
The Honors College Student Association (HCSA) is a student-run organization that exists to enrich and expand the living and learning experiences of the John Wesley Honors College at Indiana Wesleyan University. All students in the Honors College are members of the HCSA and are encouraged to take part in its activities. A student senate meets bimonthly to plan and oversee various events and gatherings for members. The senators are divided into four committees, each with their own purpose and goals:
The Honors College is developing creative, critical-thinking servant leaders to help shape tomorrow's world. Thanks to their honors learning experiences and mentoring relationships with first-rate faculty members, JWHC graduates have consistently distinguished themselves in their post-IWU careers. They have entered graduate programs at schools such as Oxford, Princeton, Duke, Michigan, University of Chicago and Eastman School of Music. They have become authors, poets, artists and journalists. They have embarked on leadership tracks in corporations, schools, churches, hospitals, charities and government. But most importantly, they have become well-informed, reflective and compassionate agents of Christ in a desperately hurting world.
Our office would love to stay connected along with keeping you up to date with your peers! Please contact Dr. Lanta Davis or honors.office@indwes.edu and request a link to our JWHC alumni page.
As an outgrowth of its mission, the John Wesley Honors College sponsors several public events on the IWU campus each semester which help to foster a vibrant interdisciplinary culture of inquiry and learning beyond the classroom. For more information, email honors.office@indwes.edu.
Additionally, the Honors College Student Association plans various events to enliven and enrich the living and learning experiences of JWHC students.
*Events entitled “JWHC” are designated for honors community members. All other events are open to general community members.
