Honors FAQs

Students who fulfill their Honors graduation requirements graduate as University Honors Scholars. The three tiers of Honors accomplishment and their corresponding requirements follow:

Honors Scholar (HS) Graduation Requirements

Honors Climate Scholar (HCS) Graduation Requirements

Yes, all Honors students must take Honors-approved courses to achieve one of three levels of Honors designation at graduation (see graduation requirements). All first-year students are required to take Honors 101 and a corresponding reading seminar in fall. From this point, students earn credit through Honors courses, sections, contracts, and study away programming.

Honors courses challenge students to think critically, tackle real-world problems, and explore areas of knowledge outside of traditional degree paths. Often interdisciplinary (Medical Humanities, Physics of Music, and Arctic Innovation), Honors courses provide students access and connection to different departments, instructors, and communities across campus.

The Honors College offers exclusive interdisciplinary and innovative courses each semester. Students may also elect to take an Honors section of a general education requirement in their degree path. Honors sections are offered in Math, English, Biology, Chemistry, Statistics, Art, and countless other programs on campus.

In addition to Honors courses and Honors sections, students may contract courses 200-level and above for honors credit. This process allows students to take a deeper dive into material that captures their interest while building connections with faculty across campus.

The Honors College highly encourages every Honors student to study abroad in their undergraduate career. As international exchange has been proven to lead to individual growth and academic success, the Honors College strongly incentivizes study away by offering up to 6 Honors credits for semester-long exchanges.

Students must achieve a cumulative 3.25 GPA or higher to graduate as an Honors Scholar and a 3.5 GPA or higher to graduate with Honors Distinction.

The Honors College will intervene to offer support if a student drops below a 3.00 GPA. 

A capstone project or research-based thesis must be completed by all Honors students by graduation. Capstone projects represent the culmination of a student's time and learning experiences at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. We encourage all students to find a format for this project that best fits their interests, degree path, and goals after graduation.

Students required to complete a capstone project through their degree path may tailor their project to meet Honors requirements. Students interested in developing a capstone project or research-based thesis outside of their degree requirements are highly encouraged to enroll in HONR 499: Honors Thesis Development their senior year. This course provides time, credit, and support to thoroughly develop a project that meets Honors standards.

All Honors students are required to present their capstone work at the Honors College Capstone Showcase in April. If a student is graduating in summer or fall, they are required to present in the spring preceding their final semester.

There is a $100.00 fee each fall and spring semester for all actively enrolled Honor students. There is no fee to apply. 

Yes, the Honors College is proud to offer its students a generous scholarship program. Honors students are eligible for several endowed scholarships, all of which we distribute annually. We also offer additional annual scholarship support to Honors students on both need and merit bases.

Honors students interested in biomedical research are also eligible to apply for the URISE program, covering two thirds of annual tuition and including a travel and research materials budget for rising sophomores.

Since 1983, the Honors College has been serving high-achieving students at UAF. Students who fulfill our requirements graduate as University Honors Scholars, a proud designation that is added to the student’s diploma and resume for life.

Community: Boasting one of the strongest and most welcoming communities on campus, Honors students are bolstered by a dynamic and interdisciplinary group of mutually supporting students who are informed, responsible, and civically engaged.

Opportunity: While at UAF, University Honors Scholars are supported by robust and generous scholarship programs, innovative research and educational opportunities, and individualized academic and career support. Upon graduation, our students go on to pursue graduate education at the nation’s top medical and law schools, PhD programs, public health and public administration master’s programs, and more.

Experience: The Honors College is also a hub for service learning and experiential learning. All students who graduate within highest tiers engage in service to the community, preparing students for a life of leadership and service to humanity.

Programs: Signature programs within the Honors College include the Climate Scholars Program and the Pre Health Scholars Program. Offering highly interdisciplinary, climate-related experiential learning opportunities, the Climate Scholars Program allows students to interface regularly with top climate scientists and experts leading cutting-edge research in the Arctic. Pre Health Scholars have access to exclusive health-centered courses on campus, participate in unique medical study away programming, and act as peer-mentors and wellness counselors for our incoming cohorts of Honors students.

Courses: The Honors College features some of the most innovative and exciting transdisciplinary elective courses on campus, including Physics of Music, Ethics of Belief, Medical Humanities, and more. In addition to a variety of electives, the Honors College partners with every department on campus to provide Honors sections of general education requirements, allowing students to dive deeper into their degree paths, connect with instructors, and engage in independent research.

Our Honors students are distinguished by their talent and their ambition, but perhaps above all else our students are distinguished by their grit. Honors students arrive early to class, and stay after to ask their instructors probing questions. They are UAF ambassadors, club leaders, and student government presidents. Honors students found organizations, spearhead community initiatives, and win awards all over the world. Our University Honors Scholars are UAF’s force multipliers; and they are Alaska’s future leaders.

Traditionally, high achieving students are defined according to the GPA they received in high school. While the Honors College recognizes this metric as an important determinant of high achievement at UAF, we also seek to acknowledge students who exhibit  great resilience and grit, and possess a growth mindset.

The Honors College looks for the following characteristics in our students: (1) curiosity to discover the unknown, (2) enjoyment of problem solving, (3) the desire to help others directly and indirectly through research, service, and advocacy, and (4) an open and flexible approach to the future.

Our students come from every major across campus, from Biology and Engineering, to Music, Physics, Anthropology, Film, and more.

Yes! All Honors students have the option to live in the Honors College Living Learning Community (LLC) and dorm, Wickersham Hall. The Honors residence hall allows students to live in a supportive environment, plan and participate in Honors events with students who share similar interests, and gain a deeper connection to the Honors College as a whole.

Honors students also have access to the Honors Lounge. Set in the heart of campus in the Rasmuson library, the lounge gives students an exclusive and centralized study and wind-down area.

Yes. The Honors College offers several distance education courses per semester to allow online students to meet Honors requirements. Distance Honors students are also encouraged to participate in course contracting in the absence of virtual Honors options. Honors 101 will be offered online in fall starting 2023.

Yes. Our Honors staff work hard to connect our current students with volunteer, internship, and job opportunities throughout their undergraduate experience and after graduation. In Honors, our students also have access to an ever-expanding network of alumni across the country and around the globe.

Yes. Although enrolled Honors students have priority registration, anyone interested in enrolling in an Honors course may contact Honors staff.

Yes. Honors is home to students in all stages of education and life. The Honors College welcomes all full-time, part-time, continuing, returning, and new students.

To learn more about honors, schedule an appointment with our Student Success Coordinator, Nate Hokenson.