Honors Program
The UAF Honors Program provides academic engagement and social enrichment opportunities for exceptionally talented, creative and academically motivated students. It promotes the highest standards of academic, professional and personal achievement and encourages students to think critically and to act in ways that benefit communities and society. Students in the Honors Program experience small classes, direct contact with top faculty members and a flexible curriculum. They participate in intellectual and social communities of student and professional scholars, and are encouraged to pursue their own intellectual interests. The Honors Program is based on the conviction that genuine achievement in college means developing broad competence and excellence within and outside a student's major field of specialization.
Undergraduate students from all disciplines are eligible for admission to the Honors Program. New freshmen should have attained a high school GPA of no less than 3.6 and a composite SAT score of no less than 1820 or an ACT composite score of no less than 27. Sophomores must have a cumulative college GPA of 3.5 and clear admission to UAF. Upper-division applicants with a similar record are admitted as honors thesis scholars.
Students generally enter the Honors program in the fall semester. Applications for entrance the following fall must be on file by May 1, but prospective Honors students are encouraged to apply by Feb. 15 in order to qualify for scholarships. Late applications are considered on a space-available basis, and a limited number of students may be accepted at mid-year. The application for admission to the Honors Program is separate and distinct from the application for admission to the university, and must be submitted separately to the Honors Program office. Promising students already admitted to UAF may be offered enrollment in the program.
The designation of "Graduation with University Honors" is awarded to graduates who complete 27 credits of honors work and a senior Honors capstone project. Students who enter the program as juniors or as seniors qualify for the designation "Honors Thesis Scholar" if they complete 12 credits of honors work and a senior Honors capstone project.
Honors courses are offered in all disciplines, including courses specifically designed for the Honors Program as well as special enrichment sections of standard university courses. Students in the Honors Program may also do individualized study in their majors. Students in the program must be regularly enrolled full-time undergraduate students.
In a typical year, the Honors Program offers courses in the sciences, mathematics, English composition, communication, one or more courses from the core Perspectives on the Human Condition, and courses in business, humanities and the social sciences. For more information and application forms, contact the Honors Program, Box 756282, UAF, Fairbanks, Alaska 99775. The Honors House is located at 520 Copper Lane. Phone 907-474-6612 or visit www.uaf.edu/honors/.