This is an archived copy of the 2014-16 catalog. To access the most recent version of the catalog, please visit http://catalog.utexas.edu/.

Graduation with University Honors

To be eligible to graduate with University honors, an undergraduate must have completed at least sixty semester hours at the University of Texas at Austin. Graduation with University honors is based on the average of all grades earned in courses taken in residence at the University, whether the courses were passed, failed, or repeated. Courses taken pass/fail are counted in the sixty-hour minimum, but only letter grades (including Fs in pass/fail courses) are used to determine the grade point average.

The faculty of each college or school determines the percentage of the graduating class of that division to receive honors, high honors, and highest honors and the minimum grade point average for each category, subject to the following requirements:

  1. No more than 20 percent of the May graduating class of each college or school may receive honors, high honors, and highest honors. No more than 10 percent of the class may receive high honors and highest honors. No more than 4 percent may receive highest honors.
  2. Honors graduates must have a grade point average of at least 3.30 in courses taken in residence at the University.

The faculty may adopt college- or school-wide standards or may designate grade point average and percentage requirements for each program within the college or school, but the percentage of the college or school class receiving honors, high honors, and highest honors may not exceed those above.

Percentage requirements are not applied to August and December graduating classes. The grade point averages established for May graduates are applied to the following August and December classes to determine honors, high honors, and highest honors.

  Honors High Honors Highest Honors
College or School Rank Min. GPA Rank Min. GPA Rank Min. GPA
School of Architecturetop 20%3.30top 10%3.30top 4%3.30
McCombs School of Businesstop 20%3.50top 10%3.65top 4%3.80
Moody College of Communicationtop 20%3.465top 10%3.665top 4%3.865
College of Educationtop 20% 3.50 top 10%3.65top 4%3.80
Cockrell School of Engineeringtop 20%3.50top 10%3.70top 4%3.85
College of Fine Artstop 20%3.30top 10%3.60top 4%3.85
Jackson School of Geosciencestop 20%3.30top 10%3.667 top 4%3.867
College of Liberal Artstop 20%3.30top 10%3.667 top 4%3.867
College of Natural Sciencestop 20%3.30top 10%3.667top 4%3.867
School of Nursingtop 20%3.30top 10%3.30top 4%3.30
College of Pharmacytop 20%3.30top 10%3.30 top 4%3.30
School of Social Worktop 20%3.30top 10%3.30top 4%3.30

Each grade point average listed is the minimum required for graduation with honors, high honors, or highest honors. Because only a certain percentage of the class may receive honors, the average required for each category may be higher.

In the McCombs School of Business, the College of Communication, the Cockrell School of Engineering, and the College of Fine Arts, a student must have completed at least sixty semester hours of coursework in residence at the University to graduate with University honors.

In the Cockrell School, a student may receive only one bachelor’s degree with University honors.

In the College of Fine Arts, to graduate with University honors, a student must rank in the indicated percent of students graduating that semester from his or her academic unit (art and art history, music, or theatre and dance) and must have no outstanding delay of grade (symbol X). A student may receive only one bachelor’s degree with University honors from the College of Fine Arts.