FAQ

The Honors College is a dynamic community focused on liberal arts foundations with an emphasis of the global humanities, interdisciplinary inquiry, global perspective, and experiential education. Bringing together students from all undergraduate majors across the university, the Honors College offers students opportunities to engage in a culture of collaborative inquiry on campus, in San Francisco, and around the world.

The Honors College welcomes all majors from all schools and colleges. The Honors College Curriculum is designed so that is able to be completed regardless of major.

Yes, the Honors College is a separate curriculum from the Honors Programs within individual majors. Students are able to be in the Honors College and in Honors Programs in their majors, but they do not have to be in both. The Honors College does not oversee the Honors Programs within individual majors and does not have a say in those requirements.

Students in the Honors College will be able to fulfill several of their USF Core requirements by taking Honors College courses. Four-unit Honors College courses in the Liberal Arts Foundations, Global Perspectives, and Experiential Engagement categories will also fulfill one of the USF Core Areas. These courses “double-dip” – in other words, they fulfill both the Core requirement and the Honors College requirement. Beginning with the 2021-2022 academic year, the Honors College offers classes in all Core areas except B2- Applied or Laboratory Science and Community Engaged Learning. We hope to offer classes that fulfill B2 and CEL in the near future.

You may be eligible to apply, provided the Honors College has space available in a given academic year. Learn more about the criteria and when the application opens on our admissions page.

Yes. The minimum GPA is 3.5. Periodic evaluations of student progress through the Honors College curriculum will be carried out by HONC advisors.

The Honors College will not slow you down in any way. The 24-unit Honors College Curriculum is designed to be able to be completed by students in any major. Advisers in the Honors College and in your major(s) will work with you to help you stay on track toward graduation.

We generally want students to complete their Honors College requirements at USF, however, in special circumstances, GAP/IB credits may count towards up to 4 units of Honors College credit, based on evaluation and approval by the Honors College director.

No. To complete the Honors College curriculum, you will take a 2-unit Honors College Senior Reflection course during your final year at USF. This course is different from a major capstone or thesis course. It will round out your Honors College experience and help prepare you for post-university life.

Credits for courses that you take within the Honors College will count toward your 128 units required for graduation even if you leave the Honors College at some point. Students are expected to make consistent progress in completing the Honors College curriculum in order to receive the benefits of the Honors College, such as priority registration and access to scholarships.

No, there is no additional cost or tuition difference if you're in the Honors College.

Yes. There are some funding scholarship opportunities for students who do not receive Getty Fellowships to use toward conference travel, research, internship, and immersion and study abroad opportunities. Instructions on how to apply for these opportunities will be emailed to Honors College students when they become available.

The Honors College does not provide housing. Students are able to apply for on-campus housing through the regular procedures at USF.

Yes! Both give you great opportunities to work in smaller communities and to dive into critical issues from a global perspective. The Honors College allows you to dig deeper into topics you care about while meeting at least three of your core curriculum requirements. The Horizon Collective gives you specific project-based courses where you can apply what you’re learning on real-world problems and build your career-specific skills.

Yes! The advantage of joining both as you enter USF is you will have additional advisers who help you plan your course schedule so you can maximize which classes will count toward required courses for your degree and for these programs.

Yes! You will be able to count at least one of your Horizon Solution Labs (4 units) toward the 8 units required under the Honors College’s “Exploration” category.

Getty fellowships are housed in and awarded by the Honors College; you will not see them in your USF financial aid offer. Getty Scholars use the fellowship funds to offset the costs of, for example, the Honors College’s Global Jumpstart travel or to support a research assistantship as they progress through the Honors College. Your Horizon scholarship, by contrast, is included in your financial aid package as part of your merit or institutional aid (grants that don’t have to be repaid) awarded by USF to qualified students. Receiving either award does not impact any need-based financial aid you qualify for.