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Prospective Students

The University of Louisiana at Lafayette is ranked in the top 15 percent for best colleges in the nation according to the Princeton Review. Our Honors Program here at the university is a part of that legacy.

The University Honors Program provides serious and highly motivated students with a unique set of intellectual and educational opportunities. Students in any academic major may participate in the program. Indeed, Honors seeks to enhance your university experience, not to replace it.  Students may choose from Honors versions of their departments' most popular freshman and sophomore courses often taught in smaller groups.  The reduced size of these classes (15-20 students usually) encourages an intimate, intensive, and stimulating learning experience.  Honors also offers special Honors courses given by dedicated Honors faculty.  These courses are frequently cross-listed with others that can be used as electives in your curriculum.  Honors students can also take a contract to a non-Honors course they wish to investigate and can earn Honors' credit for that course.  These contracts allow them to weave their own, individualized education.

Benefits for Students During Metriculation:

  • Honors Seminar provides a weekly exposure to a wide variety of intellectual ideas in the company of a large group of faculty and students. This student-oriented event utilizes the best talent on the campus, in the community, or from around the state to explore and examine questions of direct and current interest to students. Students are actively involved in planning these Seminars.
  • Another unique opportunity is the Honors Baccalaureate Degree. This special degree is awarded to students with a 3.5 GPA or higher, who undertake an undergraduate thesis or project. These students received a degree that say Honors Bachelor of Science or Honors Bachelor of Arts. The Baccalaureate Degree is an option, not a requirement.
  • Honors also offers leadership experience in the Honors Board, a committee of students elected by their peers, who advises the director, assists in Honors Program activities and takes a leading role in planning Honors Seminar programs, workshops, and trips.
  • In addition to the above, students in the Honors Program benefit from a number of special scholarships and awards, honors lounges for study and relaxation, free honors computer facilities and a free copier, a freshman Honors Living Community, Honors advisors in many departments, and priority scheduling during registration.

Benefits for Students After Completing the Program:

  • Preferential consideration to selective graduate school programs
  • Special recognition at separate Cording Ceremony with reception of Honors cords which are then worn during Commencement
  • Acknowledgement of exemplary participation at the University level via Honors emblem on diploma
  • Increased potential for receiving scholarship awards and grants

The requirements for remaining in good standing are as follows: freshmen must take Honors Seminar both semesters and are honor-bound to take it every subsequent semester that their class schedule will allow for; freshmen must maintain a 3.0 GPA and students with more than 30 hours must maintain a 3.2 GPA; students must schedule one Honors course each academic semester until 18 hours have been taken (not including Honors Seminar). Transfer students joining with over 60 credit hours will be allowed to take only 12 hours of Honors courses to complete the program. At the end of their four-five year program, students must also have completed a research project which is presented at graduation.