Application eligibility & deadlines

Program eligibility

Applicants must be either current students in the University of Kansas School of Business or planning to apply to the KU School of Business. All majors in the School of Business are represented in the Jack Dicus Business Honors Program.

Admission is competitive. The admissions committee prioritizes academic achievement and intellectual curiosity, professionalism, and community involvement and leadership. Please review all of information on this page before proceeding to the application.

The application period for BHP occurs in the spring semester of each academic year:

  • Application closes: February 12, 2024
  • Decisions will be announced to applicants: March 19, 2024

When should you apply? 

We recommend that you apply when you have at least two years remaining at KU, and before you have taken many of the 300-level business courses. There are honors versions of many of those courses available, and we want you to have the opportunity to take them. In addition, if you apply and are not admitted, you are welcome to re-apply the following year (provided you still meet the criteria).

Apply to the program

To be eligible to apply, you need:

  • At least one full-time semester (at least 12 graded credit hours in one semester) already completed at KU;
  • An overall KU GPA of at least 3.7;

Applicants who do not meet the above two criteria will not be considered. Successful applicants also will demonstrate exceptional involvement and leadership in the business school, KU and/or the broader community.

Questions about eligibility may directed to the assistant director of the Jack Dicus Business Honors Program, Lisa Bergeron (lbergeron@ku.edu).

To apply, you will need:

  1. To meet the eligibility requirements: at least a 3.7 overall KU GPA; and at least one full-time semester at KU completed; AND
  2. Well-written and well-edited responses to the following questions: [Note: We recommend you prepare your answers to the questions before starting the application. Want help crafting well-written responses? We recommend you make an appointment with a writing coach in the Business Communications Center.]
    1. Motivation and perspective. Why are you interested in participating in the Jack Dicus Business Honors Program? How does the Jack Dicus Business Honors Program fit into your overall academic goals while at KU? Consider both what you hope to get from the program, and what you believe you can contribute to your fellow BHP students’ experience.  [450 characters/75 words max.]
    2. Intellectual curiosity. What has been the most intellectually stimulating experience in your KU education thus far? Consider what has sparked your interest and curiosity and how you responded. You may choose to focus on an experience with a particular course or assignment, or an experience outside the classroom that led you to explore further. Please be specific (name the class, describe the event outside the classroom, etc.).  [750 characters/125 words max.]
    3. Current involvement. Describe your leadership and involvement in campus or community life while at KU. List no more than six of your activities, employment or other commitments on- or off-campus during your time at KU, in order of their significance to you. For each, describe your role and any significant achievements in that role. [3,000 characters/500 words max.]
    4. Future involvement. Describe your planned future leadership and involvement in campus and community life. Review the list of experiential requirements here. (Note that you are not required to have done all of these before you apply, nor are you required to do all before you graduate. We require only that by the time you graduate, you complete at least three of the listed experiences.) In 150 words [900 characters] or less, tell us which three of these experiences most interest you, and how you envision yourself completing them. Please be specific when describing how you will complete these experiences. For example, if you pick entrepreneurship discuss what organizations you plan to be involved in or specific activities or actions you plan to take to fulfill this goal. What impact do you hope your activities will have on the business school or university community?
    5. Anything else. Is there anything else you think the committee should consider when evaluating your application?  [600 characters/100 words max.]

Please note that our application process has somewhat changed from previous years. We do not accept resumes or recommendation letters. Your application will be evaluated based on your answers to the essay questions and your KU GPA.

Questions about the Jack Dicus Business Honors Program should be directed to Jennifer Harrison, jtkharrison@ku.edu, or Lisa Bergeron, lbergeron@ku.edu.