Graduating with Honors

There are two ways to graduate with honors at the University of Iowa: University Honors and honors in your major.

University Honors

After the degree application deadline, one of two things will happen:

1. If you complete your degree application and your honors degree audit shows that you have fulfilled University Honors requirements*, you will receive preapproval to graduate with University Honors within a month after the degree application deadline.
   Students in the College of Engineering do not need to notify us if they plan to use the Engineering Exception. Similarly, students who began in the program prior to Fall 2016 may be following a slightly different coursework and experiential learning requirement. Even though your degree audit will not say "requirements complete", you will still be cleared for graduation if you meet the exception requirements.

2. If your honors degree audit shows you have completed the required coursework but does not reflect 12 experiential learning credits*, you will receive a form via email within a month after the degree application deadline through which you can apply for the University Honors designation. If you believe you should have received this form and have not, please contact us at honors-program@uiowa.edu.

*Students completing honors in the major will not see this on their University Honors degree audits. However, your work towards honors in the major should otherwise be clear to us; if you have 12sh of honors coursework and are working towards honors in the major, you should fall into category 1. If, however, you are working towards honors in the major and do receive the form referenced in category 2, it will be imperative to respond in a timely way so that we can clear up the missing information with you and your department or college.

Spring Commendation Ceremony

To commend and recognize students who graduate from the University of Iowa with University Honors, we gather at the end of each spring semester for the University Honors Commendation Ceremony. Honors staff and faculty bestow honorary regalia to recognize our students' extraordinary academic achievements.

Information will be shared with spring graduates after the preapproval process described above has been completed. December and August graduates are welcome to participate as well and should contact the program at least a month before spring commencement weekend if they would like to attend.

Honors in the Major

Honors in the major is based on the college and department you are earning your degree from. Information on honors in the major for each undergraduate degree granting college can be found at:

• College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
• College of Education
• College of Engineering
• College of Nursing
• College of Public Health
• Tippie College of Business

There is no distinct universal application for graduating with honors in the major. It is associated with your degree application. Information on the Degree Application process can be found here. Questions about your eligibility to graduate with honors in the major should be directed to your department or college.