Contact Info
Honors College
Monica Doblado, Program Manager
mmdoblado@usfca.edu
(415) 422-2427
Honors College
The Honors College helps top students become global citizens equipped to meet the challenges of the 21st Century.
The Honors College, the first of its kind at a Jesuit university, gathers undergraduates in a diverse academic community that cuts across disciplines, providing rich learning opportunities and personalized mentoring with distinguished scholars and artists.
As a student in the Honors College, you will:
- Study across disciplines — Draw insights from a range of fields such as arts, music, technology, sustainability, and international politics.
- Conduct research and internship — Work with faculty and community leaders to develop research and professional skills required for advanced studies and/or careers after college. Your honors experience will culminate in a capstone project or senior thesis.
- Learn by doing — Be guided through a process of inquiry, collaboration, and problem-solving in design labs and symposia. Team up with students from different disciplines to explore a social issue and propose community-based solutions.
- Study abroad — Learn from others, stretch your vision, and explore how language and culture determine values.
Students are welcome to apply to the Honors College during the summer. They will be notified early in the fall semester and will know their admissions status before it is time to register for spring classes.
University-wide Honors Programs
Honors College Curriculum
This curriculum develops your analytical and critical thinking skills through small seminars that encourage participation — discussion, experiments, presentations, performance and workshop. You study major figures, works, and ideas from antiquity to the present, with special emphasis on integrated studies in humanities, arts, and sciences. All students in all majors accepted for the Honors College, St. Ignatius Institute, University Scholars, and Black Students Development and Achievement Program are encouraged to enroll in the Honors College Curriculum.
J. Paul Getty Scholars
New first-year students selected for the J. Paul Getty Scholarship for exemplary academic, creative, and leadership records and potential receive guaranteed funding for research assistantships, internships, and some study and travel abroad expenses. Getty Scholars must complete the Honors College Curriculum and requirements.
University Scholars Program
New first-year students who have demonstrated extraordinary academic performance are invited to enter USF as University Scholars. As a University Scholar, you receive a renewable scholarship that pays a substantial portion of your tuition, and you connect with other scholars for academic pursuits and cultural events. University Scholars engage in athletic, cultural, advocacy, service, and global opportunities as campus leaders, and as mentors for future scholars.
St. Ignatius Institute
This program, open to all majors, encourages you to use your imagination, creativity, and critical analysis to promote the common good, especially for those most in need. As a St. Ignatius student, you have the option of joining a living and learning community in a USF residence hall, and taking part in activities such as community service and study abroad, including a program at Oxford University in England.
Black Scholars Program
First-year students with exceptional academic and community service records are invited to apply to the Black Scholars Program. The students who comprise this unique community share a commitment to critically examining racial injustice and to addressing the needs of underserved communities via their chosen majors and career paths. Students selected as Black Scholars will receive a renewable scholarship that pays a substantial portion of their tuition, reside in a living-learning community during their first year at USF, and develop leadership skills through mentorship, research, internship, and community engagement opportunities.
Honors College Students
