College  Overview

The Honors College is committed to extending opportunities for achievement in undergraduate education to high achieving students across the University.  The College works toward this goal by promoting a supportive and diverse environment, both academically and culturally, in which students can pursue excellence in research, creative work, community service, and personal and professional development.  By creating a center for academic excellence, the Honors College not only fosters the development of the next generation of academic and community leaders, but also advances the University’s broader mission of improving the level of education for all students. 

The UT Arlington Honors College is a member of the National Collegiate Honors Council and the regional Great Plains Honors Council.

Advanced Placement Summer Institute (APSI)

The Honors College at UT Arlington, in conjunction with the College Board, annually presents the UT Arlington Advanced Placement Summer Institute. Each year more than 1000 high school teachers receive invaluable training from College Board-certified instructors to prepare them to teach AP courses.  Courses are offered in Art, English, Science, Language, Mathematics and Social Studies.

Honors College Undergraduate Policies

Standards for Admission

Honors has two admission procedures for entry into the general honors program.

Entering First-Time FreshmEN

A student's application to UTA serves as their application to the Honors College. All students admitted to UTA will automatically be considered for admission to Honors. While admission standards vary from year to year based upon the incoming class, invited students generally meet one of more of the following criteria:

• Combined Evidence-Based Reading/Writing and Math SAT score of 1270 or higher or an ACT score of 27 or higher
• 3.5 unweighted high school GPA (U.S. high schools only)
• Graduation in the upper 10 percent of their high school class (U.S. high schools only)
• A history of advanced courses (AP, IB, dual-enrollment, honors, etc.)

Qualified students are admitted on a rolling basis and must accept their invitation before being fully admitted to the College.

Continuing UT Arlington, FIRST-TIME Freshmen (Not Admitted through the above process), and Transfer Students

Candidates for admission must fulfill the following criteria to be eligible to apply:

• 3.35 cumulative GPA (for transfers, this is the GPA from all colleges attended prior to UTA)
• A minimum of 45 credit hours remaining until degree completion (may petition under certain circumstances)
• One or more of the criteria listed under ENTERING FIRST-TIME FRESHMEN (FTIC students only)

Students who do not meet any of the above requirements may apply to the Honors College; however, they must complete the optional essay portion of the application. The criteria above are minimums. Admission through application is not based solely on grades or scores. The admissions committee looks for evidence of strong analytical skills and college-level writing ability; thus, a strong essay is an important consideration in the admissions process. More information on the application process and steps to apply can be found here.  

The Honors College is unable to offer admission to students in programs offered exclusively through the Accelerated Online (AO) or online Academic Partnerships (AP) degree plans.

Completing an Honors DEsignation (For students entering Fall 2026 or later)

Honors designations are granted on a tiered basis: Honors, High Honors, Highest Honors. To graduate with any Honors designation, a student must be a member of the Honors College in good standing, have an overall GPA of 3.200 or higher, and complete the degree requirements in their academic major.

Honors students seeking any Honors designation must complete the number of Honors Points for the designation tier to be granted. Gateway Experiences are the equivalent of 1 Honors Point, Course Points are the equivalent of 3 Honors Points, Experiences are the equivalent of 3 Honors Points, and Signature Experiences are the equivalent of 6 Honors Points. Experience Points can be earned in the following categories: Research and Creative Activity, Professional Development, Cultural Understanding, Service and Civic Leadership, and Individual and Team Accomplishment. 

Honors (30 Points)

To earn the "Honors" designation (30 Points) a student must complete the following:

• 3 Gateway Experience Points (must be completed within one year of entering Honors)
• 9 Course Points
• 6 Experience Points
• 12 Elective Points*

High Honors (36 Points)

To earn the "High Honors" designation (36 Points) a student must complete the following:

• 3 Gateway Experience Points (must be completed within one year of entering Honors)
• 9 Course Points
• 6 Experience Points
• 6 Signature Experience Points
• 12 Elective Points*

Highest Honors (36 Points and 3.5 or Better gpa)

To earn the "Highest Honors" designation (36 Points) a student must complete the following:

• 3 Gateway Experience Points (must be completed within one year of entering Honors)
• 9 Course Points
• 6 Experience Points
• 6 Signature Experience Points and 6 Signature Experience Points from Capstone
• 6 Elective Points*
• Earn a UTA Graduation GPA of 3.5 or Better

* No more than 3 Gateway Experience Points may be counted toward completion of any Honors designation.

Special Note for Students Entering the Honors College with Over 30 Hours of Completed College Credit: Students entering Honors with 30 or more credit hours toward graduation (including all college credit transferred into UTA or completed at UTA) will be credited with 3 Course Points and 3 Experience Points, thus reducing their Point requirement by 6 Honors Points. This applies to all credit earned toward UTA graduation, earned at UTA or elsewhere.

Course Points

Students will enroll in Honors-designated or cross-listed courses or contract existing courses.  Each successfully completed course (grade of A or B) will award the student 3 Course Points. Honors courses may also satisfy Honors, departmental, college, and University requirements.  

Honors students may earn Honors credit for non-Honors courses taught by full-time faculty and adjunct faculty who have taught at UTA for at least one fall or spring semester subject to the terms of the Honors College Contract.  To receive Honors contract credit, the student must complete regular course requirements with a grade of A or B, as well as an independent Honors assignment as agreed upon by the instructor and the student and approved by the Honors College Faculty Fellows Committee.

Experience Points

Students may participate in co-curricular Experiences to earn these points.  An experience can have a point value of 1, 3, or 6. Gateway experiences are non-credit, mini courses and may include lectures, experiences, excursions, workshops, etc. These are regularly offered through the Honors College throughout the year and advertised to all Honors students. Experiences are divided into 5 categories: Research and Creative Activity, Professional Development, Cultural Understanding, Service and Civic Leadership, and Individual and Team Accomplishment. Honors maintains a living list of preapproved experiences and students have the ability to propose self-designed ones. Generally, the qualitative equivalent of an experience worth 3 points is as follows:

• Research and Creative Activity: A research experience equivalent with a 3-credit Independent Research course
• Professional Development: An internship equivalent with a 3-credit Internship course
• Cultural Understanding: A week-long faculty-led study abroad
• Service and Civic Leadership: An alternative spring break
• Individual and Team Accomplishment: Performing a role in a UTA theater performance

Signature Experiences are worth 6 Points. These are experiences that are significantly more intensive than regular Experiences (generally the qualitative equivalent of participating in multiple 3-Point Experiences.) Honors maintains a living list of preapproved experiences and students have the ability to propose self-designed ones. 

Completing an Honors DEsignation (For students entering before Fall 2026)

Honors designations are granted in the following University undergraduate schools and colleges – Architecture, Planning, and Public Affairs; Business; Education; Engineering; Liberal Arts; Honors; Nursing and Health Innovation; Science; and Social Work.  To graduate with an Honors designation, a student must be a member of the Honors College in good standing, have an overall GPA of 3.200 or higher, and complete the degree requirements in their academic major.

Honors students seeking a designation through any College other than Honors will be required to earn 18 Honors Points plus a Capstone Project to receive an Honors designation.  Fifteen (15) Course Points and three (3) Experience Points make up the 18 Honors Points total. Course Points and Experience Points are determined by each college. 

For students seeking a designation though Honors only (General Honors), they must complete the equivalent of 24 Honors Points to receive an Honors designation. These points can be a combination of Course Points or Experience Points. General Honors utilizes the Point system of the Honors College regardless of the student's major or College.

Course Points

Students will enroll in Honors-designated or cross-listed courses or contract existing courses.  Each successfully completed course will award the student 3 Course Points. Each college will set their own course requirements. Honors courses satisfy Honors, departmental, college, and University requirements.  The Honors College provides departmental advisors with equivalency/substitution information.

Honors students may earn Honors credit for non-Honors courses taught by full-time faculty and adjunct faculty who have taught at UTA for at least one fall or spring semester subject to the terms of the Honors College Contract.  To receive Honors credit, the student must complete regular course requirements with a grade of A or B, as well as an independent Honors assignment as agreed upon by the instructor and the student and approved by the Honors College staff.

Experience Points

Students must earn at minimum 3 Experience Points. Students may participate in co-curricular Experiences to earn these Points.  A point value will be assigned to each experience based on duration and rigor of the experience (most will be assigned 0.5 points).   Each college has their own list of allowable experiences.  Each unique experience may be used only one time.

Honors Capstone Project

In addition to earning the required number of Honors Points, students for all designation other than General Honors must complete a Capstone Project to receive an Honors Degree. Each college/department/major will determine which of the following “tracks” their students can select. Although not all students will be required to write a thesis, all students will be required to produce a written deliverable. HONR-4000 is required of all students completing their Honors Capstone Project. Students must be enrolled in this course in the semester they will complete their Honors Capstone Project. Students will present their Capstone Project at an Honors Symposium in a poster presentation format.

• Research: Traditional Honors thesis; research conducted with a faculty mentor.
• International: Project developed through study abroad or service learning abroad.
• Professional: Project developed through completing an internship, co-op, or practicum.
• Creative: Creation of original creative work/activity; especially for students in the fine arts.
• College Specific Capstone Project: Determined by each college.

The Honors College encourages students to maintain close contact with their Capstone mentor, academic advisor, and the Honors advising staff.  Students must meet with their designated Honors advisor during each of their first three years but are strongly encouraged to meet with the advising staff on a regular basis.

Probation & Dismissal Policy (all Years)

Honors students whose cumulative GPA falls below 3.200 will be placed on probation. They must meet as soon as possible with an Honors advisor and are required to restore their GPA back to 3.200 or higher in the following semester to be removed from probation. For students entering Honors Fall 2026 or later: Honors students not completing 3 Points of Gateway Experiences will be placed upon probation and will be removed from probation only if they complete 3 Gateway Experience Points by the end of their third semester in Honors. 

Honors College students pursuing Honors, High Honors or Highest Honors, are in good standing if they have maintained a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher, completed 3 Gateway experiences at the end of their first semester in Honors, and have completed 3 Course or Experience Points per semester in Honors. Students not maintaining these standards will be placed upon probation. Any student not in good standing after two consecutive probationary semesters will be removed from their Honors designation pathway, with the option to appeal to the Honors College for continuation. Students pursuing other Programs in or affiliated with the College (e.g., Terry Scholars, Archer, Goolsby, Mavs in the Metro, etc.) are bound to the standards of their particular program and not subject to this policy. 

Boutique Programs

The Honors College is affiliated with or runs several programs with their own admissions and good-standing policies and procedures. These include the Archer Program, Goolsby Leadership Academy, Mavs in the Metro, and the Terry Scholars Program. Please refer to those specific programs for information about admissions, curriculum, graduation distinctions, etc. All students in good-standing in an affiliated boutique program enjoy the benefits of Honors membership, though graduation designation is determined by the curriculum of the program the student is pursuing. All honors coursework and/or experiences earned through an affiliated/boutique program can be counted to fulfill the requirements of both the program and a pathway toward university honors designation.

Privileges (all Years)

Honors College participation provides several benefits to its students:

• An Honors Bachelor's Designation (applies to Honors, High Honors, and Highest Honors designations only, not affiliated or boutique programs)
• Priority course registration
• Courses taught by award-winning faculty
• Honors scholarship opportunities
• Honors Residential Community 
• The opportunity to apply for paid undergraduate research fellowships
• Special check-out privileges at the Central Library
• Access to Honors listserv and the electronic Honors newsletter, Veneratio
• Exclusive Honors events
• Honors graduate school fellowship opportunities
• Membership in the Honors College Council
• Use of the Carolyn A. Barros Reading room and free printing