Fresno State President Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval welcomed 50 new students to the Smittcamp Family Honors College on August 13. The incoming group represents the 27th cohort of President’s Honors Scholars, selected from more than 500 applicants, according to Dr. Saeed Attar, director of the honors college.
Eligibility for application requires either a minimum 3.8 GPA in grades 9 to 11 or ranking in the top 10% of their graduating class. Each student receives a President’s Honors Scholarship for up to eight semesters, valued at $6,000 per academic year. The scholarship also covers an optional credit for standard university housing if a scholar chooses to live on campus.
The Smittcamp Family Honors College was established in 1998 through a $1 million donation from Earl and Muriel Smittcamp. Ongoing support comes from the Smittcamp family, alumni, and the Fresno community.
President’s Scholars at Fresno State are admitted as a cohort and participate in specialized honors courses, weekly colloquia with guest speakers and discussions, and other educational and social activities. They must complete at least 70 hours of community service during their four years at Fresno State. In the past academic year, scholars completed nearly 4,000 hours of service across various organizations.
To remain in good standing within the program, scholars must enroll in at least 12 units per semester and maintain specific GPA requirements: a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.25 in their first year, increasing to 3.35 in their second year and 3.5 in subsequent years. More than ninety percent of participants graduate within four years, most with summa cum laude honors.
For more information about the program or its students, visit the Smittcamp Family Honors College website.
President’s Scholars for this year come from high schools throughout California.
“Fresno State President Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval welcomed 50 high-achieving high school graduates from throughout California to campus on Aug. 13 as the 27th cohort of President’s Honors Scholars in the Smittcamp Family Honors College.”
“The freshmen were selected from a pool of more than 500 applicants,” said Dr. Saeed Attar, director of the Smittcamp Family Honors College.
“High school seniors must meet one of the following two criteria in order to be eligible to apply: they must have a minimum 3.8 GPA in grades 9 to 11, or be in the upper 10% of their graduating class.”
“Each scholar receives a President’s Honors Scholarship, up to a maximum of eight semesters, for their undergraduate degree program.”
“Each scholarship, valued at $6,000 per academic year, also covers an optional credit for a standard room in university housing should a scholar choose to live on campus.”
“The honors college was established in 1998 with a $1 million gift from the late Earl and Muriel Smittcamp and continues to receive support from the Smittcamp family, the Fresno community and Smittcamp Family Honors College alumni.”
“The Smittcamp Family Honors College is unique in the California State University system because President’s Scholars are admitted as a cohort, take a series of specially designed honors courses, participate in a weekly colloquium with guest speakers and discussions, and interact in educational, scholarly and social activities.”
“In addition, President’s Scholars are required to volunteer a minimum of 70 hours of community service during their four-year stay. During the 2024-25 academic year, scholars performed a total of 3,939 hours of community service to 50 organizations on and off campus.”
“To remain a member of the honors college in good standing, a scholar must enroll in at least 12 units each semester and maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.25 in first year, 3.35 in the second year, and 3.5 in third and fourth years.”
“Over 90% of the scholars graduate in four years, mostly with the highest distinction (summa cum laude, 3.9 to 4.0 GPA).”
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