Admission into Honors

Folsom Field fireworks seen from Norlin Library.

What is the College of Arts and Sciences Honors Program?

The Honors Program is an enrichment program for undergraduate students in the College of Arts and Sciences who would like to add something extra to their experience at CU Boulder.Ìý Everything our program offers is optional, which means that each student can make the Arts and Sciences Honors Program work for their individual needs.Ìý

If you have been admitted into one of the other colleges at CU Boulder, such as Engineering, Business, or CMCI, please reference the information in the "Other Honors options at CU Boulder" section on this page.

Honors-qualified students in the College of Arts and Sciences can choose to:

  • Take Honors Program courses. Our courses are limited to 17 students and offer an engaging, seminar-style learning environment that prizes deep discussion, debate, and the exchange of ideas with fellow honors students and faculty. Ìý
  • Apply to live in the Honors dorm, known as the Honors Residential Academic Program.
  • Attend Honors Community events, including movie nights, guest lectures, workshops, science talks, games and crafts events, trivia night, and more.
  • Join the Honors Scholars. ÌýHelp foster community with fellow honors students and beyond by joining the Honors Scholars. ÌýTake honors classes, participate in our events, do volunteer work, and access our peer mentoring program, all while building your resumé.
  • Sign up for the Interdisciplinary Honors Studies Certificate. Develop skills in interdisciplinary theory and practice that you can draw on to address social problems. ÌýCultivate critical thinking skills, analyze problems from multiple perspectives, and engage effectively with people from all backgrounds and identities.
  • Write an honors thesis in order to graduate with Latin honors.

How to be a part of the Honors Program

Incoming first-year students:

Admission for first-year and transfer students is done automatically through their application to CU Boulder's College of Arts and Sciences.Ìý Generally, students in the top 10 percent of the incoming class receive an invitation.Ìý This is based on numerous factors, including high school GPA, application essays, etc. Applicants to the College of Arts and Sciences are reviewed as the admissions process progresses and honors-eligible students will receive an invitation to the Honors Program with their notification of admission to CU.Ìý Early admission applicants typically receive Honors invites in late January, and regular admission applicants typically receive Honors invites in mid-March, in line with the CU Boulder Admissions notifications.

If you do not receive an invitation with your notification of admission to CU and would like to be considered for the program, you are welcome to request a manual review by emailing honors@colorado.edu.Ìý You will need to provide a couple sentences detailing why you are interested in Honors and how you feel it would benefit your academic career here at CU.Ìý It is also an opportunity to share any information you would like the reviewing committee to consider that you did not include in your CU application.Ìý We accept manual review requests even after you've started your first semester; there is no deadline by which you must reach out.

If you prefer to talk to someone in person or via Zoom about the program, you are always welcome to schedule a meeting by calling us at 303-492-6617 or emailing honors@colorado.edu.

Continuing students:

Continuing students in the College of Arts and Sciences (those who have been at CU past their first year) who maintain a GPA of 3.3 or higher are automatically eligible to participate in the Honors Program.Ìý There is no Honors Program application; in all cases, eligibility is determined automatically.Ìý If you have a major in A&S and a GPA of 3.3 or higher, your student record will automatically allow you to participate in honors and sign up for a class.

Where to find your invitation to the Honors Program

Once you've received an email of acceptance to CU Boulder from Admissions, you'll be invited to log into to your student portal.Ìý Incoming freshmen and transfer students who are eligible to participate in the Honors Program will receive an invitation after being accepted to CU, and invitations are issued in conjunction with CU's acceptance letters.Ìý To view your acceptance packet and see if you've received an invitation, please log into your portal and view your new messages.Ìý If you've received an invitation, there is no need for further steps or applications - congratulations are in order!Ìý We're thrilled to have you in the program.Ìý Please remember that everything we offer is optional; we'd love for you to participate fully, but you can choose what works for you.Ìý There is no extra cost to take our classes or participate in events; the only possible extra expense would be any RAP fee you might need to pay if you're assigned to the Honors dorm.

I got in!Ìý What now?

You will automatically receive emails at your @colorado.edu email address notifying you of courses, events, and opportunities.Ìý Please keep an eye out for those emails.Ìý To make sure you don't miss anything, we recommend adding honors@colorado.edu to your email address book; this will keep our messages from possibly going to your spam folder.Ìý If you'd like to know more details on what we offer, please read through the Courses, Community, Latin Honors, and other tabs on our website.ÌýÌý

You can choose to participate in any or all of our offerings; all opportunities are optional and not required (including our classes).Ìý We encourage you to customize participation in our offerings to suit your interests and academic goals. ÌýAs your first semester as an Honors student approaches, you'll receive an invitation to join our Honors Student Center Canvas Community site. ÌýPlease accept that invitation; once the semester is in session, this will be the main way we communicate opportunities to you.

Is there an Honors dorm?

There is! ÌýWe would love to have you live in our Honors dorm, known as the Honors Residential Academic Program (Honors RAP) in Smith Hall! ÌýHaving said that, you are not required to live in the Honors RAP to maintain your honors eligibility - it is your choice whether you select it during your Housing application or not. Ìý

Click here to learn about the Honors RAP

Click here to visit our extensive FAQ pageÌý

Other Honors options at CU Boulder

The Arts and Sciences Honors Program serves students who are part of the College of Arts and Sciences. Other schools and colleges on campus may also have honors options. Here links to some of them:






Ìý

Campus Resources

Information For

Prospective Â鶹ÒùÔº

ProspectiveÌýstudents and those who haveÌýstarted and/or are close toÌýcompleting their application to CU Boulder can . It's a great way to find out more about all that is available to you as a student at CU Boulder.Ìý Can't visit in person?Ìý There are lots of options for you too.Ìý Visit CU Boulder's "Discover what's here" page to learn more about in-person and virtual exploration options.Ìý Have specific questions about the A&S Honors Program and want to meet us to chat?Ìý You are welcome to schedule a visit with us in person or via Zoom.

The also offers tours during Admitted Student Day. Contact their office for assistance.

There is no application process for our program. The College of Arts and Sciences automatically evaluates and invites qualified first-year fall students who have been admitted into the college. Generally, students in the top 10% of the incoming class receive an invitation. Invitations are part of a student's electronic admission packet and can be found in the "new messages" section.Ìý

If you did not receive an invitation to participate and would like to request a manual review for eligibility, please email honors@colorado.edu and provide a few sentences detailing why you are interested in Honors and how you feel it would benefit your academic career here at CU Boulder.Ìý It is also an opportunity to provide information that you did not get a chance to include in your CU application that you'd like us to consider.ÌýÌý Once we receive your request, we will forward it to the reviewing committee for consideration.Ìý

Transfer studentsÌýare automatically considered for the College of Arts and Sciences Honors Program through the Admissions process to the University of Colorado Boulder. Â鶹ÒùÔº will receive an invitation with their admissions packet if Honors-qualified.Ìý Juniors and seniors invited to participate in Honors are encouraged to reach out to the Honors Program right away so that they can understand what the program offers and how to graduate with Latin honors.

If you did not receive an invitation to participate and would like to request a manual review for eligibility, please email honors@colorado.edu and provide a few sentences detailing why you are interested in Honors and how you feel it would benefit your academic career here at CU Boulder.Ìý It is also an opportunity to provide information that you did not get a chance to include in your CU application that you'd like us to consider.ÌýÌý Once we receive your request, we will forward it to the reviewing committee for consideration.Ìý

If you have been a student at CU Boulder for at least one full year, are currently in the College of Arts and Sciences, and have a CU Boulder cumulative GPA of 3.3 or higher, you are automatically honors-qualified and can register yourself for Honors Program courses, attend our events, and participate in our other offerings as you wish.Ìý There is no application process.Ìý Everything we offer is optional, so you can customize the program to suit your interests and academic goals.

Please keep in mind that if you intend to graduate with Latin honors (cum laude, magna cum laude, or summa cum laude), you MUST write and successfully defend an honors thesis.Ìý Latin honors are not based on GPA in the College of Arts and Sciences.Ìý For more information about writing an honors thesis, please click here.