On Honors Day each spring, the University designates outstanding students as College Scholars and Distinguished College Scholars, on the basis of registration and grade point average requirements for courses taken in residence at the University, as specified below.
To be designated a College Scholar, a student must meet all of the following requirements:
- The student must be registered as an undergraduate in the current semester. Students who hold a bachelors degree or are registered in-absentia are not eligible.
- The student must have completed at least 30 semester hours of coursework in residence at the University, and at least 60 semester hours of college coursework, including transferred work and credit by examination.
- The student must rank in the top 20 percent of their class in each college or school in which he or she is enrolled, based on in-residence cumulative grade point average.
- The student must have an in-residence University grade point average of at least 3.50.
To be designated a Distinguished College Scholar, a student must meet one of the following requirements:
- The student in each class of each college or school meeting the above requirements for College Scholars with the highest in-residence University grade point average will be designated a Distinguished College Scholar.
- All other students in each college or school who meet the first, second, and fourth College Scholar requirements stated above and are also in the top 4 percent of their class in each college or school in which they are enrolled will be designated as Distinguished College Scholars.
A student is ineligible for honors recognition as a College Scholar or a Distinguished College Scholar if, in the last two years prior to the creation of the Honors Day report, the student received final sanctions under Subchapter 11-701 (a)(2)-(a)(14) of the Institutional Rules for:
(1) academic misconduct and/or
(2) non-academic misconduct involving probation or higher.
Designation as a College Scholar or a Distinguished College Scholar will be based on eligibility calculations by the Office of the Registrar as of 5 p.m. on the 20th class day of the semester in which the Honors Day Ceremony is held. Students who are eligible for recognition receive invitations to the Honors Day convocation.