What does it mean to be wise? How do I learn to recognize what is true from what is false? How can what I learn in the classroom help me become not only smarter, but more compassionate, loving, and just? In the John Wesley Honors College, we ask a lot of questions. Our classes explore big questions: What Is Truth? What is the Good Life? What is Beauty? These questions are “big” because how we think about truth, goodness, and beauty affects how we understand the world and our role within it. They are the kinds of questions which take a lifetime to answer.
In the John Wesley Honors College, we want our students to succeed in their chosen careers, but more importantly, we want to see them live meaningful lives as followers of Christ. Our students have a long list of impressive accomplishments, and we have earned a national reputation for excellence in our 25+ year history. But we’re most proud of our reputation for being the kind of a community that translates what happens inside the classroom to life outside of it. By drawing deeply from the wisdom passed down to us from our Christian brothers and sisters, we not only study virtues like justice, wisdom, and courage, we help you live them out.
If you want to experience this kind of transformational Christian education in small class settings with award-winning faculty, we encourage you to join our community and start asking better questions.
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..
Learn more about the JWHC Mission from our founding Dean, Dr. David Riggs.
The JWHC curriculum is rooted in the “Big Questions” of human existence. These questions beg answers from the historic Christian tradition and all different academic disciplines, and our interdisciplinary humanities courses build on each other to equip you with the skills and knowledge to tackle them. JWHC students learn more than subjects; you will learn to live holistically as you are formed to be more Christ-like.
By completing the Honors College curriculum, you will graduate with a double major in Honors Humanities alongside your major in your chosen discipline*. The Honors College coursework will also fulfill any core requirements you have not already fulfilled with pre-college coursework.
*An abbreviated honors minor (the Mary C. Dodd Scholars program) is available for current college students who transfer to IWU.
Having an honors degree on your transcript certainly looks good when you interview for that first job out of college or start applying for graduate programs in your field. Employers are also increasingly looking for graduates with humanities degrees that train you with skills like communication, empathy, and working across difference in a globalizing world.
But the real world does not wait until graduate: you are living it now. We believe the type of education you choose matters for how you are formed—not only as a future professional but also as a person today. A JWHC education is focused on both. Be part of a learning community that will have smaller average class sizes, more opportunity for discussion and deeper exploration, and integration with your other classes across the curriculum with peers who desire to learn like you do to become more Christ-like and more fully human.
These Honors College scholarships are distributed annually and awarded in addition to general academic merit scholarships. Every student receives a minimum of $1,000/year tuition scholarship. Additionally, one top scholarship of $5,000/year and four top scholarships of $2,500/year are awarded to John Wesley Scholars. Top scholarships are awarded by the JWHC selection committee, with preference given to students who apply and interview at either the Fall or Spring JWHC Spotlight Day.
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.
Incoming IWU students apply to the John Wesley Scholars or the Luther Lee Scholars program to complete the Honors Humanities major.
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, and admissions decisions will be communicated once all components (application, recommendations, and interview) are complete.
Qualify for the JWHC by meeting at least one of the following:
We recommend applying to the JWHC even if you aren’t yet committed to IWU. The application and interview process will help you get to know the JWHC community and discern whether it will be a good fit for your college experience.
| JWHC Admissions Spotlight Days | Apply By | Notified By |
|---|---|---|
|
Spotlight Day #1: Friday, November 21, 2025 |
Nov. 10 | Dec. 19 |
|
Spotlight Day #2: Friday, February 6, 2026 |
Jan. 26 | Mar. 6 |
If interested in interviewing in-person at a Spotlight Day, please submit your JWHC app 10 days prior to Spotlight Day date. Beyond these dates, the JWCH accepts applications and conducts virtual interviews on a rolling basis throughout the academic year.
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?
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.
We love to hear from our alumni. Email honors.office@indwes.edu with life updates or join our JWHC alumni Facebook page.
