Honors Admissions

Current USF Student Admission

Current USF students who did not enter the Judy Genshaft Honors College as an incoming FTIC students can apply to join the Honors College as an upper-level applicant. There are two application periods for Current students to apply to the Judy Genshaft Honors College each year.  

Admission into the Honors College as a Current USF Student can be competitive and varies depending on factors such as capacity, major, GPA, and a student’s home campus. Applicants should have a working knowledge of the Judy Genshaft Honors College curriculum (see details below) and how these experiences will contribute to their personal and professional development.

RESTRICTIONS

Current USF students will not be admitted into the Judy Genshaft Honors College if the additional academic courses will cause students to accrue any excess credit hours or graduate in a manner inconsistent with (beyond four years from the start of a student's bachelor’s degree). 

For this reason, it is important to note that the likelihood of admission may be lower for students who are further along in their degree progression. 

JUDY GENSHAFT HONORS COLLEGE REQUIREMENTS FOR CURRENT STUDENTS

In order to graduate with Judy Genshaft Honors College distinction, upper-level admit students in the Honors College must complete the following requirements by their graduation. For more detailed information about these requirements, please contact our admissions coordinator.

  • Honors Academic Curriculum (Thesis or Capstone Track)
    •  Thesis: 2 Honors Seminar Courses + 2 Semester Honors Thesis
    • Capstone: 3 Honors Seminar Courses + 1 Semester Honors Capstone
  • Two Experiential Learning Activities
  • Minimum 3.5 Overall GPA 

APPLICATION POOLS AND TIMELINES

To be eligible for admission, students must have completed one full Fall or Spring semester at USF. Eligibility for each of our applicant pools is best determined by a student’s first semester with USF. First-year students who began their USF enrollment during either the Summer or Fall of 2024 should apply to enter the Judy Genshaft Honors College in Fall 2025.

Applicant Pool
First Semester at USF
Application Launch
Application Deadline
Decision Date
First Semester in Honors
Upper-Level Students Spring 2024 or earlier Sept. 16, 2024 Oct. 18, 2024 Nov. 4, 2024 Spring 2025
First Year Students Summer or Fall 2024 Jan. 17, 2025 Feb. 28, 2025 Mar. 14, 2025 Fall 2025

Students can for further information about our application process and to be notified once their available application launches. 


APPLICATION

Interested students can access the current student application here:

The Honors current student application is comprised of the following:

  • General student information questions.
    • Name, major, completed credits, home campus, etc.
  • Two short, 500 – 750 word essay submissions to the following prompts.
    • First, asking students to elaborate on why they are interested in joining the Judy Genshaft Honors College, and how they may benefit from an Honors curriculum.
    • Second, asking students to provide some ideas regarding how they might intend to complete the Experiential Learning requirements.
  • A previous academic writing sample.
    • There is no preferred format, course, or subject matter. Applicants may submit anything that they believe demonstrates their academic writing capabilities.