Honors Admissions
Judy Genshaft Honors College 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 USF’s Degree Progression Policy (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.
| Applicant Pool | First Semester at USF | Application Launch | Application Deadline | Decision Date | First Semester in Honors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current USF Student | Summer/Fall 2024 or earlier | Jan. 17, 2025 | Feb. 28, 2025 | March 14, 2025 | Fall 2025 |
Applications for the spring and fall 2026 semesters will be launched during the upcoming summer. Information about those upcoming application cycles will posted by June 1, 2025.
Application
The Honors application for summer/fall 2025 is now closed for Current USF Students. Due to our limited capacity, we are unable to review any additional applications past the application deadline. Current USF students who did not apply, are encouraged to consider applying for the spring 2026 term. Information about the application period for the spring 2026 term will be updated here by June 1, 2025.
Application Materials
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.