The application for incoming freshmen to join the Honors Program has now closed, as the number of submissions has exceeded the number of available spots. Applications and notifications will be sent within six weeks, though possibly sooner. All incoming freshman received a “heads-up” email in advance of the application opening date, with the goal of giving students the opportunity to prepare the application essays ahead of time and submit them as soon as the application opened. If you missed the application window, you will be able to apply in summer 2024 as a rising sophomore, as long as you have 36 letter-graded UC units with a 3.2 cumulative GPA or higher. The link for the rising sophomore application will be available on the website, and will not be emailed out to all sophomores. Thank you for your understanding.
Welcome new and continuing UCSB students interested in or admitted to the Honors Program. We're glad you're here! On this homepage you'll find info on how to get your questions more answered. Your first step is to review the links in the navigation bar to the left. Most questions that students contact us with can be quickly and conveniently answered by reading our various webpages! If you need to speak with an Honors advisor about something not answered here, you can reach out to us during Honors drop-in advising hours or via email. We look forward to working with you!
Trying to figure out how many Honors experiences you've completed so far? Please click here and see the green-highlighted info to fill our the verification request form.
Have graduation-related Honors questions? Please see our FAQ here.
Honors Same Day Advising Hours
(Beginning April 17, 2023; speciality advising begins Week 3 of the quarter)
Tuesdays 9:30-11:30 am (phone or Zoom only)
Wednesdays 1:00-3:30 pm
Thursdays 9:30-11:30 am
To speak with an academic advisor:
1. Same Day Advising (for quicker questions): Get in the "General & Honors Call Back Queue" in QLess during or Same Day Hours (see above). One of our general advsiors will call you or answer your questions or have an Honors advisor give you call.
2. For more complicated questions, schedule an appointment in the QLess "General & Honors Virtual Advising Appointments Queue." We ask students to schedule appointments for relatively complicated issues, and appointments cannot be scheduled for the same day or the next day. Also, appointments fill quickly. So if you have questions that can’t wait, please use QLess, and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.
3. Emailing us at honorsmail@ltsc.ucsb.edu
Please include your PERM and a good callback number in your email to us.
Also, if you need a petition form for another academic advising matter, most are available online, and once you fill them out, scan them or take a picture and send it to academic_advising@ltsc.ucsb.edu.
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The Honors Program is designed to give students in the College of Letters and Science the opportunity to pursue their interests as part of a community of scholars. The program connects you to the resources of a large university while providing an intimate collegiate atmosphere where you work closely with peers and professors in small classes, research laboratories, and special programs and activities.
Honors Student Testimonials
"I absolutely loved my job as an Honors Program Peer. Getting to meet so many extremely intelligent and driven individuals really inspires me. I'm also excited to share my experiences with the incoming Honors students through the Honors Mentor program because I know they will be amazed by how many opportunities they will receive through this program! Not to mention how much fun they will have if they join our Isla Vista Elementary Tutoring Program!"
Haley Ferrera, Alumna and former Honors Program Peer
"Being a part of the Honors Program has helped me cultivate deeper connections with my professors and has opened me up to new and exciting opportunities that I didn't imagine I would have during my college years at such a large university. As an Honors Program Peer, I was excited to organize more events to help create a sense of community and togetherness within the Honors Program." [We recommend following the Honors Program's Facebook page for updates on upcoming events.]
Mallory Shiroyama, Alumna and former Honors Program Peer
"I’m so thankful to be a part of the Honors Program here at UCSB. Not only has it opened me up to opportunities I never thought I’d have the chance to do during college, it has also provided me with greater connections with my professors — a privilege at such a large university. For my Environmental Studies Honors Section with Professor Alagona, I had the chance to go on a 3-day field trip to the Sierra Nevada, where we were able to meet lots of prestigious people in a variety of job fields, as well as see how environmental issues are very important today."
Rachel DeAngelis, Alumna
"My favorite experience in the Honors Program was Dr. John Park's Honors Seminar on Law and Disobedience. This course opened my mind to the vast number of sources from which knowledge can come; I have since broadened my education by attending events such as TEDxUCSB, a Ted Talk event at which Dr. Park spoke about how power and knowledge contribute to modern race relations. He is so charismatic and made class sessions feel both casual and professional, encouraging the connection of issues across disciplines, as well as giving useful advice on life after college. Plus he always offered tea and chocolate."
Megan O'Beirne, Alumna
"Participating in the Honors Program allowed me to work one-on-one with my professors to get even more out of my already great Sociology courses. My honors standing as well as my leadership experience from being the Isla Vista Tutoring Coordinator made my resume stand out and helped me to already receive an offer for a great, full-time career after graduation."
Kate Chase, Alumna and former Isla Vista Tutoring Coordinator
"Although I joined the Honors Program for the early registration times, after joining I realized the tremendous opportunities to network with other students and work closely with faculty."
Chris Condron, Alumnus
"I really enjoy having the opportunity to take Honors Seminars and Honors Contracts in unique subject areas. Many professors teach seminars or establish contracts around a specific area of interest to them, thus allowing students to learn about a topic that may not be offered in other UCSB courses."
Kristen Wieser, Alumna
"I love that the Honors Program creates a small community within a large university, making my experience as a student more manageable and rewarding."
Audrey Abeyta, Alumna
"A few of the relationships I’ve built have been maintained, which made the process of getting letters of recommendation much easier."
Jeannette Figg, Alumna, Yale law student
"The Honors Program has given me the opportunity to develop better relationships with my professors while also creating a more in-depth academic experience."
Kelsey Foltz, Alumna
"Through Honors Sections and Contracts, I enjoy having thought-provoking discussions and participating in challenging projects that go beyond what’s required of you as a regular student in class. You get to form relationships with faculty who are prestigious in their areas of expertise and actively engage with their wealth of knowledge."
Kaitlyn Hollister, Alumna
"I have had the opportunity of going deeper in the course material through projects, research and building closer relationships with professors, which has allowed me to truly make the most of my academic career at UCSB."
Danielle Mayorga, Alumna
"The Honors Program has allowed me to develop close ties to UCSB faculty members through Honors Contracts and Sections. It has also opened up volunteer opportunities such as the Isla Vista Elementary School tutoring program."
Michael Moses, Alumnus
