FAQs
General Information
What is the Honors College?
Enrollment in the UIC Honors College is an option for undergraduate students at UIC who are seeking to enhance their education through additional academic opportunities.
The UIC Honors College is a community which fosters academic excellence, connecting students with premier faculty mentors while promoting civic engagement and encouraging learning beyond the classroom. By bringing together faculty, staff and exceptional students, the Honors College offers educational opportunities that are not available to other undergraduates on campus.
As a member of the UIC Honors College, students have access to Honors courses, exclusive facilities and special programming, all of which are meant to enhance the student's undergraduate experience at UIC.
- Where is the Honors College Located?
The Honors College is located in 103 Burnham Hall, on the first floor of the building.
What are the Requirements to Stay in Good Standing in the Honors College?
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•Maintain a 3.4/4.0 cumulative GPA. (Students who began before fall 2006 must earn a 3.25/4.0)
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•Complete an Honors Activity each semester. There are three steps to completing the activity:
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Register for HON 222
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For Freshmen:
* Orientation Course - HON 101
* Core Course - HON 121, 123, 127, 128, 129, 140
For Upperclassmen:
* Meet with Fellow to gain approval of proposed honors activity
* Complete an honors activity.
3. Complete the Agreement and Completion Forms with all proper signatures/approvals and turn in before published deadlines
Continuing Students
What if I forget to register for HON 222?
If you don't register for HON 222 by the end of the third week of the semester, you should fill out a petition form to request to be added to the HON 222 roster.
I don’t know what to do for an Honors Activity, help!
If you are having trouble figuring out what to do for your honors activity, please consult with your Honors College fellow. Fellows can be very helpful in selecting activities, as well as providing information that will help the student in their chosen career path. You can also meet with an Honors College advisor. Also, various activities are featured throughout the semester through e-mail and on the announcements page.
I don’t have a fellow yet, so who signs my agreement and completion form?
You aren’t assigned a fellow until the beginning of your sophomore year. If you are a freshman, your core course instructor will be the person to sign the agreement and completion forms. If you are an upper classman and you haven’t received any fellow information, please call the Honors College front desk and they will help you.
What are the core courses?
The core courses are a sequence of two interdisciplinary courses that are taken during your freshman academic year. All incoming freshmen to the Honors College are required to take a core sequence.
What is the difference between URA and independent research?
Independent research is generally an option for students who have completed a significant amount of their major and would like to focus on one area for educational purposes. They need to have either their fellow or a professor specifically in their area of interest to oversee their research. This can be done for credit or non-credit. That is arranged with the overseeing professor. There is no limit to doing independent research for Honors Activity credit.
Click on URA for additional information on the details of the program.
Can you receive credit for a summer honors activity?
Honors students are not required to complete summer honors activities. However, if you plan on completing a summer activity, be sure to meet with your fellow for approval and turn in agreement and completion forms.
What does it mean if I am on probation?
There are two types of probation that can occur.
1. When an Honors students has not submitted their completion form on time (Friday of finals week), they will receive a “DFR” (deferred) grade. Complete the late form and turn it in at the Honors College front desk in order to be removed from probationary status.
2. The second form of probation is known academic probation, which happens when a student’s GPA drops below a 3.40. The student will be on probation and have one semester to pull their GPA up, or they will be dropped.
3. Any student admitted Fall 2006 or later whose cumulative UIC grade point average goes below 3.15 is dropped; a student admitted Fall 2006 or later whose cumulative UIC gpa falls below 3.40 but is at least at 3.15 or higher is placed on probation, and has one semester to bring it up to 3.4 again.
I received an SH or DFR for my Honors Activity. What does that mean?
The S means that the project was completed to a satisfactory level, and the H indicates the course was completed at an Honors level. A DFR, deferred grade, means that the student did not turn in their Agreement and/or Completion Form and/or register for HON 222 on time.
I can’t get in touch with my fellow. What can I do?
The fellow's signature is REQUIRED on the Agreement Form. Therefore, students should use all possible means to contact fellows including: E-mail, phone, going to office hours, going to classes they are teaching, etc. The few times a student is not required to meet a fellow include if the fellow is on Sabbatical for more than one month from agreement due date or has been hospitalized. If this is the case, the student can then set up an appointment with one of the Honors College advisors for honors activity approval.
How can I change my fellow?
If the student is not changing majors, he or she can e-mail Martha Duran to request a fellow change and write the appropriate reasons why. If the student is changing majors, he or she needs to fill out an Information Update sheet (available at the front desk); that paper will start the process for the student and they do not then need to contact Martha Duran.
Where can I get scholarship information?
The Honors College offers several scholarships which have deadlines throughout the academic year. There are also websites that can be visited periodically for scholarships both on and off campus. For a list of UIC and nationally competitive awards, please check out the Office of Special Scholarship Programs located in 2506 University Hall.
New Students
How do I get accepted into the Honors College?
All students admitted to UIC are eligible to apply for Honors College admission. A separate application is required. Please refer to our page on applying for more information. Note the exception below for GPPA applicants.
I applied to GPPA. Do I need to apply to the Honors College separately?
No, the Honors College will accept your GPPA application in lieu of the Honors College application. You will then be contacted by the Honors College with further instructions regarding interview options. Your Honors College interview may also be used in the GPPA admissions process.
After I apply, what’s the next step?
The Honors College will invite selected applicants to campus for an interview and an impromptu essay.
Where can I go to find out more information about the Honors College?
If you would like to visit the Honors College, check out the Honors College Experience
Program. Also, you can go here to find out more information about financial aid, campus
housing and the GPPA program.
Honors College Facilities
How can I contact the Honors College?
Honors College
828 S. Halsted St., MC 204
103 Burnham Hall
Chicago, IL 60607
Phone: 312-413-2260
Fax: 312-413-1266
hcollege@uic.edu
http://www.uic.edu/honors
Can I make copies at the Honors College?
Yes, copies can be made for Honors College students only. We ONLY copy
unbound material. Copies are $0.05 per side. Students are permitted 50
copies a day.
Is there a special computer lab for Honors students?
Yes, we have a computer lab located in room B11 Burnham Hall, which is only for Honors students. Occasionally when the lab gets busy, the lab monitor may do an ID sticker check. If a student does not have a current sticker, he or she should get a current sticker from the reception desk if they are an Honors College student. For more information check out the computer lab page.
Where is the student lounge and what are the hours?
The Honors College student lounge is located on the first floor of Burnham Hall in room 109. During fall and spring semesters, it is open Monday - Friday from 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Where is the 24 hour access Quiet Study room?
After the Honors College offices close, you can still have access to our 24 hour study room in 220 BH (the Tutoring Center). You can request 24-hour access at the front desk.
Where is the Honors College tutoring center?
The Honors College tutoring center is located in room 220 on the second floor of Burnham Hall. Schedules for tutoring are available online. Hard copies of the schedule are also available in the literature rack in the lobby of the Honors College.
How can I verify that I am an Honors College student?
Each Honors College student should receive a sticker for his or her I-Card EVERY semester. Place the sticker in a blank part of the card. NEVER cover up any part of a number. The sticker verifies that the student is a member of the Honors College to employees of the Honors College computer lab and the UIC Libraries.