Lagniappe (lan•yap) is an unexpected bonus, or gift - and a perfect way to describe Alfred University’s 20-year-old Honors Program.

On your way to your baccalaureate degree, you’ll spend lots of time in courses relating to your major(s) and minor(s). Sure, they’re rewarding, but sometimes you need some time to explore other areas you find intriguing, usually through elective courses that often give your academic pursuits an unexpected and surprising fullness.

What Students Say...

"The Honors Program at AU is awesome because, unlike programs at many other schools, it does not require a lot of difficult classes and extra work. Instead, it involves fun classes that allow us to explore a variety of interesting and unusual topics that can't be found in ordinary classes."
- Rebecca Steele, SeniorOur mission: To enrich your undergraduate education by providing seminars that give your academic pursuits an unexpected and delightful fullness.  In our Honors Seminars, students have explored chaos theory, bioethics and neurological disorders. They’ve written children’s books, ghost stories, web journals and romance novels. They’ve looked at opera and comedy, Zen and the Blues.

We offer you a unique menu of Honors Seminars, each with a piquancy or twist that makes it intriguing and challenging.  That’s why we say our Honors Program is “serious play.” It’s that something extra you get with an AU education.