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  2. Academics
  3. academic-offerings
  4. Honors

Honors

The College of Arts and Science provides three honors options for exceptional students.

College Scholars

College Scholars is the only college-wide honors program and is open to A&S students who display exceptional academic promise. The program automatically admits students who receive the Cornelius Vanderbilt Scholarship, and all A&S first-year students have the opportunity to apply at the end of their first (fall) semester. College Scholars complete an enhanced curriculum that includes honors seminars, research experiences, and other unique learning opportunities. For more information or to apply, please visit the College Scholars website.

Departmental Honors

A&S students can also apply for departmental honors, which encourage independent work in the student’s major field of study. Students typically apply for honors during their junior year. The college requires a minimum cumulative and major GPA of 3.3, but some departments’ minimum GPA requirements are higher. Other requirements vary but usually include independent coursework, plus completion of a senior thesis or capstone project supervised by a faculty member. Students interested in applying for departmental honors should visit the website of the relevant department or contact the department’s Director of Undergraduate Studies.

Latin Honors

Each year, the College of Arts and Science awards Latin honors to the top 25 percent of the college’s graduating class. Tiers are as follows:

  • Summa cum laude: top 5 percent of students
  • Magna cum laude: next top 8 percent of students
  • Cum laude: next top 12 percent of students

Detailed information about Latin honors, including the GPA thresholds for each graduating class, is available on the University Registrar’s website.