Policies and Procedures | University Honors Program | SIU

All Honors students are required to meet with their Honors mentor prior to registration each semester. This is in addition to advisement within your major. Ideally, Honors mentoring and course selection should take place before the student meets with their major advisor. Honors mentoring is to ensure that the student is making satisfactory progress in the UHP and to make sure they are up-to-date on information and opportunities. 

Mentoring appointments are for 30 minutes. An announcement will be made on The 4-1-1 requesting that you set up an appointment with your Honors mentor.

About your mentoring appointment: 

• Come prepared! Know your outstanding Core Curriculum requirements.
• If you have questions about your major's degree requirements, contact your primary academic advisor prior to your visit with your Honors mentor
• Be on time! It is essential that you arrive on time; if you are late for your scheduled appointment, you risk being bumped to a later time slot.
• If you need to cancel, please contact the office ahead of time.

Upon admission into the UHP students will complete:

Honors Certificate: Completion of 18 hours of UHP-approved coursework.

• Of these, up to 6 hours may be waived for the AP credits; Honors courses taken at other post-secondary institutions; and for students with Associates Degrees.
• The total number of hours must include one UHON351 seminar and may include a 3-credit senior project or thesis under the direction of a faculty member.  Those taking 3 or more UHON seminars may request a waiver of up to 3 credits towards their coursework requirements.  
• If accepted into the Upperclassmen Entry Track, continuing SIUC students may complete the program with 12 semester hours of credit.  To be considered, you must apply to the Program, have 4 semesters left to complete your degree at SIUC, and show evidence of leadership and civic engagement.
• View our curriculum.
• Maintain a GPA of 3.3.
• Engage in service and leadership - 20 hours a year. 
• Meet once a semester with your Honors mentor.

Honors Residency: Incoming freshmen are encouraged to spend their first year living in the Honors LLC, Smith Hall (West Campus). Students live and learn in an exciting, dynamic environment, comprised of students from all colleges and majors, and unified by a commitment to engagement and excellence! The Honors LLC will provide students with academic support, the opportunity to network, and the potential to develop life-long friendships.

Exceptions to the residency requirement may be granted under certain circumstances. Requests for exceptions should be addressed to Director, Dr. Jyotsna Kapur at jkapur@siu.edu

One of the benefits of Honors is that you get to register early for all courses.  Early registration generally takes place in October (for Spring semesters) and March (for Fall semesters). That date will be publicized on The 4-1-1. Honors students who fail to register on that date will have access only to the remaining spots still available in classes. 

To take a UHON seminar,  students must reserve their spot prior to Early Registration.  That process will be shared over 411.

The steps to register for a UHON Seminar on Salukinet are here.

Should a student decide not to take an Honors seminar for which they have a reservation, they should contact the Honors Office at honors@siu.edu.

Exit interviews are conducted in April for graduating students. Students will be contacted by their respective mentors about scheduling an appointment, as well as be asked to complete an online exit survey. Topics discussed are the student's UHP experience, suggestions for improvement, and future plans. Click here for the exit survey  and please email them to honors@siu.edu.

On rare occasions, students decide that the UHP is not for them. When this happens, students complete a Request for Removal form, which may be obtained from the front desk at the Honors office. The UHP may ask the student to have a brief meeting with their Honors mentor to discuss their reasons for withdrawal.

Students who are below 3.3 for two semesters are placed on probation.  During probation, students may continue in the program, as normal, i.e., take UHON seminars and contract courses.  However, students must have SIU GPA of 3.30 or above to be awarded the Honors Certificate upon graduation.  Please get in touch with your Honors mentor as soon as possible to discuss your plans for getting back on track or if you have questions about your status in the program.   

All those students who have been below 3.3  for three semesters are placed on suspension. Students must raise their SIU GPA to 3.30 or above to be readmitted into the Program.  Please meet with your Honors mentor to discuss your plans for rejoining the Honors Program.  

Under special circumstances, suspended students with a cumulative GPA of 3.2-3.299 may be able to pursue one Honors contract by express permission from the Director and their UHP mentor. This would be in effect on a semester basis only. The same policy applies to students holding any current or future leadership positions in the Honors Assembly.