HAVE QUESTIONS?
We have answers. Check out responses to our most frequently asked questions below. If you don't see the answer you need, please contact us at honors@arizona.edu or 520-621-6901.
Admissions Criteria and Application Process
Yes! The application for the Franke Honors College is no longer an extra supplement – students will apply for Honors admission directly from their Main Campus application.
In addition, there is no longer a required letter of recommendation component. Instead, Honors applicants can submit up to three optional supplements of their choice (which can include a letter of recommendation).
The Franke Honors College does not consider standardized tests (SAT/ACT) and does not have a minimum required GPA. Admission is competitive through a holistic review process based on a student's high school GPA, course rigor, personal statement, activities resume, and letter of recommendation.
The Franke Honors College gives students opportunities to do hands-on, interactive work with faculty members and peers. Students who have excelled in AP or IB classes are ready to engage in this kind of study, as they already have the support of an education that has honed their skills in comprehension and analysis. We know AP and IB classes are challenging, and we want to reward you for that effort. The Franke Honors College considers the number of AP and other advanced courses on your transcript, as well as your unweighted GPA and other metrics when making an admissions decision.
Honors applications submitted after November 1 will only be reviewed for Regular Decision evaluation.
Honors applications submitted after the Honors Regular Decision deadline (February 15) will only be considered for the waitlist.
If you already submitted your application to the University of Arizona but the Regular Decision deadline for Honors applications (February 15) has not yet passed, you can still submit your Honors application materials by completing the corresponding Honors form in your Future Wildcat account. Please feel free to contact us if you have questions or need further instructions.
If you are applying to the Franke Honors College, the Activities and Honors section of the Main Campus application is required, as this information will be utilized for Honors admission. If you would like to submit a formal activities résumé in addition to this, you may do so as one of your Optional Supplemental Materials in the Honors section of your application.
Decisions
Early Action applicants will receive Honors decisions on January 15 along with their University of Arizona admissions decisions. Regular Decision applicants will receive their Honors decisions in March (exact date TBA).
Please note that the Early Action deadline to be considered for Honors admission is the same as the University of Arizona’s Early Action deadline (November 1), but the Regular Decision deadline for Honors admission (February 15) may be different than the University of Arizona’s Regular Decision deadline (TBA).
There are two deadline options. Early Action means that students will be reviewed and receive their admissions decisions earlier, and will have access to apply for more supplemental scholarship opportunities. Students who apply by the Early Action deadline are under no obligation to enroll or commit to Franke Honors or U of A if accepted. Regular Decision means that students will be considered for admission on a space-available basis after Early Action decisions have been rendered.
Applicants who are deferred will be re-reviewed during the Regular Decision evaluation process. This does not mean a student has been admitted or denied, but rather will be reconsidered for admission later.
No, the review committees are unable to accept additional materials from applicants who have been deferred.
Yes! We still encourage you to continue with enrollment steps - housing, applying for scholarships, signing up for orientation, etc. - if you have been deferred.
You will receive an email update and/or letter that announces a change in your decision status when Regular Decision communications are released.
Applicants who are waitlisted will be reconsidered for admission after all decisions have been rendered. This does not mean a student has been admitted or denied, but rather will be reconsidered for admission on a space-available basis throughout the spring after Regular Decision communications are released.
No, the review committees are unable to accept additional materials from applicants who have been waitlisted.
Yes! We still encourage you to continue with enrollment steps - housing, applying for scholarships, signing up for orientation, etc. - if you have been waitlisted.
You will receive an email update about this status when Regular Decision communications are released.
No, waitlisted applicants are not ranked. All waitlisted applicants are periodically revisited for admission on a space-available basis.
There is no estimate about how many students will be admitted off of the waitlist. The number of applicants admitted off of the waitlist will be dependent on space availability in the incoming class throughout the spring.
Students who are removed from the waitlist will receive an email communication and/or letter that announces a change in their decision status.
No, there is not a process to appeal admissions decisions. The next opportunity to apply for admission is through the Current Wildcat application process. To learn more, visit the Application Process page under the Admissions tab of our website.
First-year applicants who have been identified as National Merit Semifinalists, National Merit Finalists, or National Recognition Program students (National Rural/Small Town, First Generation, and School Recognition Award Programs) will be automatically admitted to the Franke Honors College after they submit a U of A Main Campus application. Students should consult with their assigned Recruiter to verify that their scholar status is on file with U of A.
Students will receive official communication from the College Board or National Recognition Program partners about their scholar status. Students should consult with their assigned Recruiter to verify that their scholar status is on file with U of A.
Transfer applicants who are members of their institution's chapter of Phi Theta Kappa will be automatically admitted to the Franke Honors College after they submit a U of A Main Campus application. Students should consult with their assigned Recruiter to verify that their scholar status is on file with U of A.
Yes! If you are a current University of Arizona student and you have at least three semesters remaining until graduation, a cumulative GPA of 3.4 or better, and have completed at least 12 credits at U of A, you may apply for admission into the Franke Honors College through the Current Wildcat application process. To learn more, visit the Application Process page under the Admissions tab of our website.
Post-Admission Steps/Miscellaneous
After you’ve been admitted, take the next steps toward becoming a Franke Honors Wildcat by paying your enrollment fee, signing up for housing and registering for orientation in your Next Steps Center.
No, a student accepting enrollment to UArizona will also accept their enrollment to the Franke Honors College.
There is no requirement for students to live in the Honors Village, nor is housing in the Honors Village guaranteed. We suggest that students who wish to live in the Honors Village complete an on-campus housing application early.
Students can apply for on-campus housing as soon as they have been admitted to UArizona, and students do not need to know about their Honors status to apply for on-campus housing, including if they are interested in living in the Honors Village. Dorm selection does not occur until the late spring after Honors decisions have been released.
Students can apply for additional scholarships as soon as they have been admitted to UArizona, and students do not need to commit to UArizona or the Franke Honors College to be eligible for additional scholarship consideration.
Students admitted to the Franke Honors College should make sure to indicate that they are Franke Honors students in their Scholarship Universe profile so they may be matched to Honors award opportunities.
It is recommended that you speak with someone about the Franke Honors College. If you would like to opt out, please email us at honors@arizona.edu. Declining the W.A. Franke Honors College will not affect your admission to the university. Please note that students who decline their admission will have to reapply if they change their mind.
We are currently offering in-person visit options and have a collection of recorded videos and other presentations on our website. Please check out our Visit Us page for more information.
Visit the Cost and Value webpage to see the current Honors Fee. If the fee is a financial burden, you may be eligible for a fee scholarship if you are a U.S. citizen and have completed the FAFSA. To learn more about your financial aid options, please visit the Scholarship and Grants page of our website.
If you have additional questions, please contact the Franke Honors College at honors@arizona.edu
YOUR GPA
Graduation with honors requires a cumulative GPA of 3.4 or higher at the time of graduation. Students are not required to maintain that GPA every semester in order to maintain active standing in the W.A. Franke Honors College, but must have a 3.4 at the time of graduation. Courses completed at other colleges and universities are not included in the university’s GPA.
YOUR COURSEWORK
Students who are admitted to the W.A. Franke Honors College in their freshman year must complete a minimum 30 honors units in order to graduate with honors. Six of those units will be earned through the Honors Thesis, and one will be earned through a Franke Honors Seminar. Your remaining units will be completed through honors general education courses, honors courses in the major or minor, honors research or individual studies, and elective courses.
Courses offered directly through the W.A. Franke Honors College are special opportunities that are available exclusively to honors students. Additional honors credit options are offered through academic departments across campus and offer students a more specialized and engaging experience than what is available to non-honors students. Honors students are not required to take 30 units in addition to their other degree requirements; with careful planning, you can expect that the majority of your honors units will overlap with other course requirements for your degree.
Students who join the W.A. Franke Honors College in the sophomore or junior year will need to complete a reduced number of honors credits.
Honors courses are designed to provide a qualitatively more engaging interdisciplinary experience for students but do not necessarily require a quantitatively greater amount of work. By taking honors courses, you will have the opportunity to work more closely with faculty, delve into the material at a deeper level, and collaborate with other motivated students. You will have the opportunity to develop your own honors pathway and to choose which requirements to fulfill with honors courses, but you are strongly encouraged to choose honors options when completing your general education requirements.
YOUR HONORS THESIS
The Honors Thesis is the culmination of your participation in the W.A. Franke Honors College at the University of Arizona. It is intended to be a personalized research experience in which you explore a concept while incorporating the knowledge or investigative techniques learned during your undergraduate career. The Honors Thesis may take any form appropriate to your discipline and approved by your Faculty Mentor (e.g. research paper, performance, video, artwork, etc.). Many of our alumni say it was their favorite part of their Honors experience.