Skip to main content
Revelle College Revelle College
  1. HOME
  2. Academics
  3. Honors & Opportunities
  4. Revelle College Honors Programs
Revelle Students

Revelle Honors Programs

Revelle College encourages students to enhance their academic experience by seeking challenges and growth. Revelle's Freshman Honors Program and Provost Honors Program recognize Revelle students for academic achievements.

Revelle Freshman Honors Program

Weekly seminar discussion with a faculty member, selected by the Provost. The seminar acquaints eligible incoming freshman students with a variety of faculty to learn about their research as well as academic enrichment and undergraduate research opportunities. Eligible students will be invited to join the program in the fall.

Criteria for Eligibility

  • High School GPA of 3.8 or higher and
  • New SAT scores of 37 or higher on Reading and on Writing, and 35 or higher on Math

By invitation only - fall, winter, and spring quarters

Pass/Not Pass 

Students who meet these criteria are invited to enroll in Revelle 20, an informal weekly seminar. The Freshman Honors Program Seminar is noted on the transcript, even though it is a zero unit course.

If you are not invited for your incoming fall quarter as a freshman, you may be invited once grades are posted, to the winter quarter seminar as long as you maintain a 3.7 GPA in at least 12 graded units in fall quarter. For spring quarter enrollment, eligible students will have a cumulative 3.7 GPA and at least 24 graded units. Meet fellow honors freshman and take advantage of these benefits:

  • Welcome Reception: Start the year right meeting faculty, staff, new honor students, and students from the previous year's honors program. Make valuable connections.
  • Extra Advising: Meet with the Provost, Revelle College Academic Counselors, or your Department Advisors. Letters of recommendation for jobs or internships may be available from the Provost. Learn about special summer opportunities.
  • Social Program: Engage in special events such as plays, concerts, seminars, and tours (e.g., Super Computer facility, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, CALIT2, The Old Globe…). All events are free!

The Revelle Freshman Honors program is meant to support the excellent education you will receive at Revelle College and UC San Diego. 

More Information:

  • Triton Day: Attend Triton Day for a college session, a tour of the residence halls, and department presentations.
  • Information Sessions: Information Sessions TBA through the Admissions Office
  • Contact: Revelle prides itself on individual attention to students; if you have questions please call the Revelle College Provost's Office at (858) 534-1571 or e-mail ndaly@ucsd.edu.

Provost Honors

Students who achieve 3.5 GPA or higher in at least 12 graded units, with no grade of D, F, or NP recorded for the quarter, receive Provost Honors for the quarter and this achievement is posted on student transcripts.

Upon achieving Provost Honors for all three quarters in the same academic year (F,W,S), a special recognition certificate is mailed to the student's permanent domestic address, sent out close to the start of the new academic year (late summer). Energized by Revelle's rigorous general education curriculum, nearly 500 students achieved Provost Honors in 2016-17 (three quarters attaining a 3.5 or greater GPA in at least 12 graded units each quarter). 

In addition to the Provost Honors program, Revelle College sponsors an annual student and faculty honors event to recognize Revelle College's top academic achieving students. Criteria for invitation: GPA 3.7> in 12 graded units per quarter for fall and winter; graduating seniors (those who have filed their DDA), GPA 3.6> in 12 graded units per quarter for fall and winter. Students who meet these criteria will be invited to the Revelle College Annual Honors Reception & Awards Ceremony.

UC San Diego Department Honors

Qualified students graduate with a degree awarded with distinction, with high distinction, or with highest distinction. Each department may honor up to twenty percent of graduating seniors who have completed a special course of study within that department. This may entail an honors research project or paper in addition to specific course work. Please check with your department for details.

College Honors at Graduation

UC  San Diego Academic Senate has established this standard for award of College Honors at graduation: 

No more than 14 percent of the graduating seniors on campus shall be eligible for College Honors. Normally, no more than the top 2 percent shall be eligible for summa cum laude and no more than the next 4 percent for magna cum laude, although minor variations from year to year shall be permitted. The remaining 8 percent are eligible for cum laude. The ranking of students for eligibility for College Honors shall be based upon the grade point average. In addition, to be eligible for College Honors, a student must receive letter grades for at least 72 graded units of course work at the University of California. Each College may award College Honors at graduation only to those who are eligible to receive College Honors.

2018 - 2019 Eligibility 

Cum laude - 3.725 - 3.851
Magna cum laude - 3.852 - 3.935
Summa cum laude - 3.936 - 4.0

Phi Beta Kappa

The UCSD chapter of Phi Beta Kappa elects student members on the basis of high scholastic achievement in academic programs emphasizing the liberal arts and sciences. Phi Beta Kappa was founded in 1776 at the College of William and Mary in Virginia and is the oldest, most prestigious, academic honor society in America. The curriculum of Revelle College ensures that all graduates have met the liberal arts course requirements, and selection is therefore expected for those meeting the minimum GPA requirement of 3.65.