The Torrey Honors College at 51 has once again been recognized as a “.” The designation came from the (ACTA), which houses an initiative that shines a light on honors programs, major and minor degree programs and certificate programs that guide students through a high-quality and coherent interdisciplinary education across the liberal arts.

“Established in 1996, the Torrey Honors community of professors and thousands of students has explored the good, the true and the beautiful together through an integrated study of primary and biblical texts that fulfill university core requirements,” said Paul Spears, director of the Torrey Honors College.

The Hidden Gem website details the Torrey Honors College and how it allows students to engage with and openly discuss great authors and thinkers, from Plato and Aristotle to C.S. Lewis. Students in the Torrey Honors College are encouraged to work collaboratively with peers and faculty alike and are given mentorship opportunities to prepare them personally and professionally for life outside of college.

In 51’s Torrey Honors College, students journey through their college years with a small cohort of peers, exploring perennial questions and discussing classical authors in a Socratic format such as Plato and Dostoevsky. They also have the rare opportunity to study abroad in Cambridge or Oxford.

“The oldest distinctive Christian honors program of its kind, Torrey acts as a single, comprehensive interdisciplinary four-year course, team-taught across small student cohort communities and personally guided by a hand-selected faculty mentor for each student,” said Spears. “We are honored to be recognized as an ACTA Hidden Gem for our dedicated pursuit of truth through discussion of significant questions among serious peers as we develop virtuous leaders.”

ACTA is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to academic freedom, academic excellence and accountability in higher education. Hidden Gem programs typically include focal points of philosophy, literature, politics, history and the Great Books of Western Civilization.

ACTA’s Hidden Gems initiative serves as a complement to our (WWTL) project. WWTL rates the core curriculum requirements at over 1,100 schools to determine which institutions provide a rigorous, liberal arts-oriented general education. Programs designated as Hidden Gems offer a robust liberal arts education regardless of their home institution’s core curriculum. WWTL and Hidden Gems help prospective students locate universities and programs that will prepare them for successful careers, informed citizenship, and human flourishing.

Learn more about the Torrey Honors College and the unique education it offers to students. Applications are open for Fall 2025.

Written by Sarah Dougher, media relations specialist. For more information, email media.relations@biola.edu.