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Graduation

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Graduation

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Fall 2020 degree applications are due October 2, 2020. Completing your degree application through MyUI will automatically prompt a review for completion of University Honors. You do not need to indicate in any way that you'd like to be evaluated - all students who complete a degree application and are currently members of the University Honors program of study will be reviewed. The box that appears on the degree application refers to honors in a major and does not pertain to awarding of University Honors.

For University Honors to appear in the Commencement Program your degree audit needs to show complete by November 4. Follow steps below to ensure completion can be reported accurately.

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

By submitting your graduation degree application, you will automatically be considered for graduation with University Honors. No extra box needs to be checked at application submission.

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 an email within a month after the degree application deadline to encourage you to report any missing experiences from your Honors degree audit. If you believe you should have received this email 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.

Previous Ceremonies

The University of Iowa Honors Program is pleased to present a virtual commendation address from David Gould, the 2020 recipient of the Honors Teaching Award. Please take a moment to indulge in his words of encouragement along with inspiration from his friend, Ashton Kutcher here: https://vimeo.com/418286404 

A transcribed copy of the address is available HERE. 

Special thanks to Dave and Ashton for this wonderful surprise for our graduates, our program sincerely appreciates you both! 

Hats off Class of 2020, you did it and with perseverance and determination amidst a very difficult time in history. May you dream big and meet all of your goals. Once a Hawkeye, always a Hawkeye. Congratulations!

To recognize all of our graduating seniors, visit our 2020 Honors Graduates video HERE.

2019
  • Keynote Faculty Speaker: Shaun Vecera, Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences 
  • Keynote Student Speaker: Angeline Vanle, Human Physiology, Class of 2019

2018
  • Keynote Faculty Speaker: Professor David Wilder
  • Keynote Student Speaker: Lance Heady, Biochemistry and Biology, Class of 2018

2017
  • Keynote Faculty Speaker: Professor Steve Duck
  • Keynote Student Speaker: Rachel Zuckerman, Political Science, Journalism & Mass Comm., Class of 2017

2016
  • Keynote Faculty Speaker: Associate Professor Rachel Williams (Watch it on YouTube)
  • Keynote Student Speaker: Jeffrey Ding, Economics and Political Science, Class of 2016 (Watch it on YouTube)

2015
  • Keynote Faculty Speaker: Ambassador Ron McMullen
  • Keynote Student Speaker: Quinn Hejlik, History and International Studies, Class of 2015

2014
  • Keynote Speaker: Tom Niblock '07
  • Keynote Student Speaker: Nicholas Rolston, Physics and Mathematics, Class of 2014  (Read it in Adobe)

2013
  • Keynote Student Speaker: Elizabeth Schorsch, History and Educational Foundations & Policy, Class of 2013  (Read it in Adobe)
  • Photo Album

2012
  • Keynote Student Speaker: Suzanne Carter, Mathematics and Physics, Class of 2012 (Read it in Adobe)
  • Photo Album

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.

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Honors at Iowa

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319-335-1681| honors-program@uiowa.edu 

Click HERE to submit to the Honors Program submission form! 

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