Honors Recognition - Theatre & Dance Majors

College Scholars / Distinguished College Scholars 

On Honors Day each spring, the University designates students as College Scholars or Distinguished College Scholars.  This will be based on registration and grade point average calculations by the Office of the Registrar as of 5 p.m. on the 20th class day each spring semester.  Students who qualify for recognition will receive an email invitation in March from the president of the university to the Honors Day Ceremony, where they will receive their Honors cords.  Honors Day certificates will be mailed to a student's permanent address beginning in mid-April. Please review the eligibility requirements online.  

2024 minimum GPA required for Fine Arts students: 

University Honors

Each fall and spring semester, undergraduates who complete a full course load and earn outstanding grades are recognized by inclusion on the University Honors list.  Each time a student is included on the list, their official record also shows the award of University Honors for that semester. The list is compiled at the end of each fall and spring semester; it is based on the student’s work in that semester only.  

To be included, a student must earn at least 45 grade points and a grade point average of at least 3.50 on courses completed in residence and must have no incomplete grades (symbol X).  Students are notified on the semester grade report of their inclusion on the list.

Graduation with University Honors, High Honors or Highest Honors

To be eligible to graduate with University Honors, a College of Fine Arts undergraduate must have completed at least 60 semester hours in residence at UT Austin and must have no outstanding delay of grade (symbol X).  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 60-hour minimum, but only letter grades (including Fs in pass/fail courses) are used to determine the grade point average.  A student may receive only one bachelor’s degree with University honors from the College of Fine Arts.  

The grade point averages established for May graduates are applied to the following August and December classes to determine honors.  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.

Honors Rank: top 20%, minimum 3.30 GPA
High Honors Rank: top 10%, minimum 3.60 GPA
Highest Honors Rank: top 4%, minimum 3.85 GPA

There is no formal recognition of this honor as there is no ceremony or cords, but it will be noted on your diploma if you qualify.  Please note that eligibility for this distinction is not just based on your GPA, but also your percentile rank which cannot be determined until shortly after graduation.  If you have questions about Graduating with Honors, please contact the COFA Office of Student Affairs.