Academic Policies & Requirements

Eligibility

Incoming First-Year Students 

If you are an incoming first-year student to the University of Louisville please review the prospective students area of our site for more information about Honors. To read more about high school student eligibility standards for the University Honors Program, please click here. 

Incoming Transfer Students or Current UofL Students

Any undergraduate student (incoming transfer student or current UofL student not already in the Honors Program) seeking a first bachelor's degree who is interested in applying to the Honors Program, please click here to learn more about our application process. Incoming transfer or current UofL students must have earned a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.35 or higher to qualify to apply to Honors, and they must also be able to complete the minimum program activity requirements described below.  We recommend that interested students review the policies on this page in order to understand what is expected of them should they be accepted into the program. 

Honors Good Standing Policy

In order to remain in good standing in the Honors Program, students must meet all of the following minimum requirements:

• 3.35 cumulative UofL GPA
• Successful completion of three 3-credit Honors courses within their first four (full-time) semesters in the Honors Program (minimum of 9 hrs of Honors courses)

In addition to fulfilling the above requirements, it is highly recommended that students complete at least one 3-hour Honors course per academic year so that they may maintain their progress toward successful program completion by the time of graduation.  Students must successfully complete a minimum total of 15 credit-hours of Honors courses in order to graduate from the University Honors Program.  Most students complete this requirement by taking five 3-credit courses, but 1-credit and 4-credit courses also count toward the total 15 hours. 

Honors Probation/Suspension

First-Semester Freshmen Only

• If first-semester GPA is between 3.0 and 3.34, you will be placed on Honors Probation. This probationary period will last one semester. Students on Honors Probation will still receive full Honors Program benefits, including priority registration. If you do not raise your GPA to 3.35 after this probationary period, you will be suspended from the Honors Program.
• If first semester GPA is below 3.0, you will be suspended from the Honors Program.

All other Honors students

• If your cumulative GPA is below 3.35, you will be suspended from the Honors Program. If you are suspended, you will be notified via email sent to your UofL account. Because priority registration occurs before grades are posted, you may be suspended from the Honors Program even though you are registered for an Honors course. You will not be removed from any Honors courses for which you are already registered.
• To be readmitted to the Honors Program after being suspended for GPA, you must speak with an Honors advisor once your cumulative GPA has reached the 3.35 minimum.

Course Requirements (Activity)

• If you do not take at least three Honors courses (9 credit hours) in your first four (full-time) semesters in the Honors Program, you will be placed on Inactive Status. Students on Inactive Status do NOT receive priority registration. If you are placed on Inactive Status, you will be notified via email sent to your UofL account.
• To regain Active Status in the Honors Program, you will be required to enroll in and complete at least one 3-credit Honors course.  You will need to speak with an Honors advisor to gain access to an Honors course while in Inactive status.