Honors programs are not a major part of the community college curriculum due to the colleges' focus on providing access to nontraditional students, as well as the feeling of some community college educators that honors programs are inherently elitist. A 1975 survey found that only 47 of 644 responding institutions had formalized honors programs. A majority (73%) of the institutions, however, reported having informal honors elements, including honors classes, guest speakers, credit by examination, achievement-based financial aid, honor rolls, honor societies, and honors advisory committees. Different types of honors program activities in use at community colleges include: (1) special course sections, which cover course material in greater depth; (2) in-class honors options, allowing students to complete extra work for honors credit; (3) interdisciplinary instruction, providing courses that cover two or more disciplines; (4) honors colloquia; and (5) special activities, including social events and opportunities for special research. Typically, criteria for entering honors programs include students' grade point averages (GPA's) and their scores on standardized tests. Once in honors programs, students must maintain a minimum GPA. The little research that exists on the characteristics of community college honors students suggests that honors curricula must be geared toward vocational and non-traditional students, as well as traditional transfer students. (MAB)