The Honors Program at the University of Florida attracts academically talented and highly motivated students by providing them with additional opportunities beyond those available to the general student population. There are five distinct components of the program that enhance the experiences of honors students at the University of Florida: honors courses, honors housing, honors advisors, extracurricular organizations, and special academic opportunities (prestigious scholarships, research, internships, and study abroad). We encourage you to follow these links to learn more about what our program has to offer.
Admission
Application to the Honors Program is by invitation only.
All students matriculating in 2010 must meet the following minimum criteria in order to receive an invitation to apply:
GPA: A weighted GPA of at least 4.0 as computed by the university's Office of Admissions. When computing a student's high school GPA, the university only counts academic classes (not band, driver's education, gym, etc.) and adds extra weight to the most challenging courses: (1) an extra one-half grade point for all high school honors courses; (2) an extra full grade point for all AP and IB courses. For questions regarding UF's GPA computation, please contact the Office of Admissions at (352) 392-1365.
Test Scores: All students must achieve our minimum score for either the SAT or ACT (but not necessarily both) as described below:
- SAT Reasoning Test - A combined score of 2070 on the math, critical reading and writing sections. Students who have taken the SAT multiple times may use their highest subscores from any test administration of the new SAT to meet this requirement.
- American College Test (ACT) - A composite score of 33. This score must be earned all in one sitting; the university cannot mix or combine any ACT subscores. The University of Florida Office of Admissions requires the optional writing section.
The Honors Program will only consider scores from the December 2009 test dates or earlier.
If you are admitted to UF and the Office of Admissions determines that you meet these minimum criteria, you will receive an invitation to apply for the Honors Program along with your UF acceptance letter. Students who are invited must postmark their Honors application by March 12 (for those who applied to UF on or before November 1) or April 16 (for UF applicants after November 1). All applicants will be notified of placement into the Honors Program by e-mail. If you do not receive an invitation with your notice of admission to UF but still believe you qualify for Honors, please call the Office of Admissions at (352) 392-1365.
Because the Honors Program is a two year program, we cannot accept transfer students.
Lateral Admission: Incoming students who do not meet these requirements may still apply to join the program at the end of their freshman Fall Semester by way of lateral admission. A minimum UF GPA of 3.5 in the Fall Semester is required. Students who enroll in at least 14 credit hours will have preferred status when applications are reviewed. In the past most successfully admitted students have applied with GPA's well above the minimum of 3.5, and they have also been actively involved in the UF community via extracurricular activities and organizations.
Lateral admission is the absolute last chance for students to enter the Honors Program; we cannot accept any applications from students who have already moved beyond the first semester of their freshman year. The deadline for Summer B and Fall 2009 freshmen to apply for lateral admission is November 13. Applicants will be notified in mid-December after final grades have been submitted.
The 2009 lateral admissions application is available here.
Freshmen have the opportunity to attend an optional lateral admissions workshop through the Workshop Success Series sponsored by the Office of New Student Programs. To register, please visit their website at http://www.dso.ufl.edu/nsp/workshops/ and search for the Honors Program Lateral Admissions workshops.
Spring 2010 admits will have a separate lateral admissions application, available in January 2010. Applicants will be notified about their admission status in early May after final grades have been submitted.
If you have any questions about the lateral admissions process, please e-mail Melissa Johnson at mjohnson@honors.ufl.edu.
What is Required of Honors Students?
Honors students are required to maintain a 3.0 cumulative UF GPA in order to remain in the program. This is only a bare minimum requirement, however--we still encourage honors students to take advantage of as many aspects of the program as they like.
Typically honors students enroll in at least one honors class during their first four semesters, although they may enroll in honors courses throughout their undergraduate career.
Honors students will be expected to check their Honors Daily Opportunity List-Serv Email. You are automatically signed up for this List-Serv when you attend Preview. The List-Serv contains valuable information about research opportunities, community events, and Honors course early registration. We also have a List-Serv for parents of new honors students.
To submit an article for the Honors Daily List-Serv, click here.
To submit an article for the UF Gator Times, click here.
Parents can sign up for the Honors Parents List-Serv by sending an e-mail to listserv@lists.ufl.edu and including "Subscribe Honorsparents-L" in the message body.
In order to receive an Honors Program certificate of completion, students admitted on or after Summer B/Fall 2005 will be required to complete one of the following Enhancing the Undergraduate Experience opportunities:
- Participate in Leadership Activities
The student may hold a leadership position in a student organization or activity, attend a leadership conference on campus, or demonstrate continued involvement in student activities at UF - Participate in Community Service
A minimum of 50 hours completed and documented through the Center for Leadership and Service - Study Abroad
Opportunities include: Honors in Paris Spring Semester program, Honors in Lancaster England for the academic year, or many other exchange programs through the University of Florida International Center - Conduct Research
The student may be supervised by a University of Florida professor or be sponsored through the University Scholars Program - Complete an Internship
The student may receive IDH honors credit for completing an internship during summer or the academic year
Visiting - Afternoon with Honors
Registration for the Fall 2009 Afternoon with Honors
is now available.
The Honors Program invites all academically talented and highly motivated high school students to visit the University of Florida campus for our Afternoon with Honors program. Afternoon with Honors offers prospective honors families the opportunity to:
- Tour the UF campus
- Experience the Honors Residential College at Hume Hall
- Participate in an information session with honors students and honors advisors
- Eat lunch on campus with honors ambassadors
This is an opportunity for prospective honors students to see how the University of Florida Honors Program can enhance their undergraduate experience.
Directions to the UF Welcome Center
- From I-75: Exit 384 (SR 24/Archer Road) and head east on Archer Road for 2.6 miles to Gale Lemerand Drive (formerly North-South Drive). Turn left onto Lemerand Drive for 1/2 mile to the light at Museum Road. Turn right onto Museum Road for one block, then left into the UF Bookstore and Welcome Center's driveway.
- From I-95:Follow the directions to the Office of Admissions in Criser Hall. From SW 13th Street (US 441) turn right at the light on Museum Road for 1/2 mile. The UF Bookstore and Welcome Center is on the right, just past Center Drive.
- From US 441 (13th Street): Turn west at the light on Museum Road for 1/2 mile. The UF Bookstore and Welcome Center is on the right, just past Center Drive.
Parking
Parking at the University is heavily restricted during weekdays. As a visitor, you will need to park in the Welcome Center's parking garage. The fee for an all-day parking pass at the Welcome Center garage is $5.
For more information about directions and parking, please follow these links:
Directions to UF
Parking information for visitors
