Honors students are required to maintain a 3.3 cumulative GPA. Students whose cumulative GPA falls between 3.0 and 3.29 will be assigned Honors probationary status, which allows them to raise their GPA while continuing to enjoy the benefits of the Honors Program. An exception is allowed for first semester freshmen, who may be assigned probationary status with a GPA between 2.7 and 3.29.
Freshmen students on Honors Probation must earn a 3.3 GPA each semester they are on probation. They must achieve a 3.3 cumulative GPA by the end of their fourth semester in order to remain in the Honors Program.
All other students on probation will have two semesters to attain a 3.3 cumulative GPA. To remain on probation during those two semesters, students must achieve at least a 3.3 semester GPA. Students who do not meet the minimum probationary GPA requirements or who fail to raise their cumulative GPA within the designated two semesters will be dropped from the Honors Program. Students who are dropped may reapply when their overall GPA is raised to the required 3.3 minimum.
Exceptions for students other than first semester freshmen are made on a case-by case basis by the Honors Program staff.
Summer term is not a semester. Students are not placed on probation at the end of summer term, nor are they removed from probation. Students who believe an exception should be made can petition the Honors Program.
Full-time Honors students must complete three hours of Honors coursework for each semester of participation in the Honors Program. Part-time Honors students must complete three hours of Honors work for every 15 credit hours they complete. Honors sections of courses, Honors Colloquia, In-Course Honors, Independent Honors Study and Undergraduate Research Participation all count as Honors work.
In order to receive Honors credit for a course, students must a receive a grade of "C" or better in an Honors course, or receive a grade of "C" or better and successfully complete an In-Course Honors project in a non-Honors course. Those completing more than three credit hours of Honors coursework in any semester may "bank" the extra hours and use them to meet the participation requirement in subsequent semesters. Students who complete 24 hours of Honors work are exempt from further participation requirements.
Information for Education majors:
You are only exempt from the participation requirement the semester you are registered for Student Teaching. The first semester of the PDS program or field-based semesters are not the same as student teaching and you are not exempt from the participation requirement; you should plan ahead to bank hours for this semester or you may complete an In-Course Honors Project.
Information for students in the BS/MPA Accounting Program:
If students are still completing undergraduate requirements during the fifth year of their BS/MPA program, they are still responsible for Honors participation and GPA requirements. If students have 24 hours of Honors credit prior to this, they are exempt from further participation. Otherwise, students must either have 3 banked hours or complete an In-Course Honors Project in an undergraduate course in their schedule. Students should consider doubling their efforts during a semester or two of their first three years at Illinois State University to build up those banked hours.
In the fifth year of the BS/MPA program, if students are taking only Graduate level work, they are exempt from completing Honors credit. They still receive the early registration benefit, though we need to do this manually as the system removes them.
To remain in good standing in the Honors Program for graduation designations, students need to have a minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.3 when all their undergraduate coursework is completed. If the grades in undergraduate classes make the cumulative undergraduate GPA fall below 3.3, students would not be eligible for Honors designations.
It is strongly recommended that Honors students in the BS/MPA program meet with an Honors Advisor to confirm their Honors status (prior to the In-Course Honors contract deadline) at the beginning of their last year at Illinois State University.
Exemptions from the participation requirement are made for students who will be involved in student teaching, study abroad, National Student Exchange, full-time internships or co-op experiences. Other exceptions are rare and are made on a case-by-case basis by the Honors Program staff.
Students who do not complete three credit hours of Honors coursework and do not have at least three banked hours will be placed on Honors Suspension for the semester following their non-participation. This means the student will be suspended from the upcoming Honors early registration period and will be assigned a later registration time. In order to regain good standing after the Suspension semester, a student must complete at least three hours of Honors work while on Suspension.
If a student regains good standing during the suspension semester but fails to complete Honors work in a subsequent semester, the student will be dropped from the Honors Program and will not be readmitted.
