The year 2007 marks the 50th anniversary of the first freshman class to commence Liberal Arts Honors studies at Providence College.
The Liberal Arts Honors Program offers students of high academic ability and initiative a more in-depth and rigorous version of the Providence College core curriculum. Students are required to take a minimum of six Honors courses: normally four interdisciplinary courses in Honors Development of Western Civilization in the freshmen and sophomore years, one or two Honors course in the junior year, and a capstone Colloquium in the senior year. Most Honors students opt to take two or three courses beyond the minimum of six.
Qualifying students are invited into the Honors Program on the basis of the rigor of their high school courses, class standing, SAT scores, recommendations, and sample essays (the SAT average for recent Honors classes has been 1360, and most students are from the top 5% of their high school graduating class). The Honors Program enrolls approximately 100 students each year. Students who are not invited into Honors as Freshmen can apply for admission after one or two semesters of outstanding academic performance at the College.