Welcome to Honors Programs

Student Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do I get an application to join Honors as a continuing student? To obtain an application to join Honors Programs, you must first attend one of our scheduled College Honors Orientations for Continuing Students. The orientation will provide information regarding the program's requirments, fufilling those requirements, as well as maintaining your Honors status. Once completed, you will receive an application form to be filled out at the orientation. Please remember that you must have a 3.5 cumulative GPA as well as 12 graded UC units by the time of application to qualify for admittance to College Honors. You should be informed of the decision within 1-2 weeks of your application status but another way to check the status of your application is to see if an "Honors Progress" link shows up on your myUCLA page 1 week after your orientation. If it's there, you're in!

   To enroll in a workshop, logon to your myUCLA page, click on the "Services" tab at the top of your myUCLA page, and scroll through the list of Workshops available to you. You are looking for the workshop entitled "College Honors Orientation for Continuing Students". These are open to students who were admitted to the university as Freshman or Transfer students.


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2. How can I check the progress or status of my College Honors requirements? Logon to myUCLA and on the left side, there should be a link labeled "Honors Progress". Click on the link and it will show you your program requirements, units that you've fufilled, and which courses you've taken to fufill your requirements.

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3. I'm graduating, is there anything I have to do for Honors? Make sure that you submit your Honors Candidacy Form (click on first link under "Tools & FAQs" above) by the end of the 1st week of the quarter in which you are graduating. The Honors Candidacy Form should be filed when a majority of your Honors coursework has been completed. Once approved, you will make yourself eligible to graduate with the College Honors distinction as well as become eligible to attend/order your College Honors Commencement Ceremony tickets. Therefore, filing on time is most important for those wishing to attend the commencement in June. Please file it on time to avoid any issues with commencement ticketing. The last day to submit your Honors Candidacy Form is April 4, 2008 to be eligible for College Honors Commencement Ceremony tickets.

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4. I want to see an Honors counselor! What's the best way to make an appointment? As you may already know, we schedule counseling appointments on a same-day basis starting at 8:30am, Monday through Friday. It is best to come in and make your appointment but there is the option to call. Please understand that when you call, it is very possible that you will get either a voicemail or a busy signal. Many people know that we open at 8:30am and will try to call in, thus, flooding our phone lines. Since our appointments get booked up quickly, listed here are a couple of things to keep in mind when trying to make an appointment:
   • Our busiest times correlate with the quarter's schedule. Every 1st and 2nd week of the quarter is the busiest time and the hardest time to get appointments. It is not rare for us to find at least 10-20 students lined up at our door before we even open.
   • Any time there is a deadline (ie. end of 4th week for non-impacted drop deadline or end of 6th week for p/np option deadline), we experience higher volumes of students that are trying to make appointments
   • Usually the week before URSA enrollment registration begins for each quarter, a large amount of students will make appointments to plan out their courses.

   
   Here are some tips on how to get an appointment (Note: These tips are not guarantees to get an appointment):

   • Come into our office early! Coming in early to make an appointment gives you priority over those that call since you've made the effort.
   • Plan ahead. Take note of upcoming deadlines and important dates such as those listed above. Instead of waiting until the week before your URSA enrollment appointment, make an appointment regarding your class schedule before your URSA enrollment passes even become available (Most students start thinking about the next quarter's schedule when they get their enrollment passes).
   • If something is urgent or pressing, make time to schedule and attend your appointment. That might mean waking up a little earlier to get into our office but if it's really important, you'll find a way.
   
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5. I turned in a petition to the Honors office, where can I go to check the status of my petition? Please allow at least 2 weeks for petitions to be processed. During holidays and campus closures, this processing time may be extended. To check the status of your petition, logon to myUCLA and click on the "Services" tab at the top of your page and scroll to MyPetitions or on the "Petitions" link on the left side of your myUCLA page. If the petition shows pending for more than 2 weeks, please contact us so we can make sure your petition is being processed properly.

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6. I'm interested in adding an Honors Contract or Honors Seminar to a lecture course. How do I set that up and when do I have to turn it in by? Information regarding Honors Contracts. Information regarding Honors Seminars. General deadlines for adding a 1-unit contract or seminar adhere to the College add deadlines (end of 2nd week [no fee], end of 3rd week [with a $5 late add fee], after 3rd week [by late/retro add petition]). There are some instances where departments will require the necessary paperwork earlier than the College add deadlines so please be sure to check with the department in which you are trying to setup the contract or seminar.

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7. I took a course that should count for Honors but it's not showing on my Honors progress page. What can I do? First, your honors courses will not show up on your honors progress page until they are completed and your grade is posted on your transcripts. Also, remember that you need to earn a B (or above) in all of your honors courses (unless manditory p/np) for it to apply to your Honors progress. That grade requirement also applies to 1-unit contracts and seminars where you must obtain a letter grade of B (or above) in the 1-unit contract or seminar and the lecture course that it is attached to. You can also check the Honors
   Masterlist to make sure your course should count for Honors. Below are some special cases to also consider:
   • In some cases, contracts and/or seminars are setup incorrectly (not necessarily by you). If you think this is the case, please contact our office so we can try to fix it.
   • SRP Contracts
     Students in the Honors Programs who participate in any Course 99(e.g. Philosophy 99, Communication Studies 99, History 99) doing faculty mentored research will receive automatic units toward honors progress once you have done the following:
     • Log into your MYUCLA.
     • Click on the contract courses link.
     • After completing the SRP contract process, which includes printing the form and having your faculty mentor sign it, turn the form in to the appropriate Undergraduate Research Center (Humanities and Social Sciences-Murphy Hall A-334, Life and Physical Sciences-Life Sciences 2121).
     • You have been officially enrolled in the department course 99 once the URC has approved the contract and it appears on your study list.
     • After you have successfully completed the entire contract experience, proceed back to your MYUCLA and click on the evaluation link next to the approved SRP contract that you have set up.
     • Once the aforementioned steps are completed, your honors units will roll over to your progress card automatically (the system updates once a week on Sunday).
     
     Please Note: Course 99 may count toward a maximum of 4 honors units - not Honors Collegium units.

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8. I want to request excess study list units (taking more than the alloted units in a given quarter). How can I request this? First, consider what class or classes you are thinking about taking that would make you exceed your given amount of study list units. In a regular term, you can request excess study list units beginning 2nd pass of each enrollment period. You may make your request:
   For 20-23 units:
   • In person: No appointment is necessary. Upon approval, your request will be made available immediately. You must have at least a cumulative 3.0gpa to qualify for excess units at the front counter. If you have below a 3.0gpa, please make an appointment with a counselor.
   • By fax: Fax in your request with a copy of your BruinCard. Also write down your UID, number of units requested, and for which quarter you are requesting it for. This request is usually completed by the end of the day depending on when you sent in the request.
   • By e-mail: You must use your official registered e-mail address to make your request (if you're not sure which one it is, check on your URSA page). Please state your UID, number of units requested, and for which quarter you are requesting it for. This request is usually completed by the end of the day depending on when you sent in the request.
   For over 23 units:
   • You must make an appointment with a counselor to make this request.
   Excess Summer Units:
   • All requests for excess summer units must be made by scheduling an appointment with an Honors counselor. This request can be made starting early April of each year for the upcoming Summer.