Academic Honors
The Lindenwood faculty awards general honors to those undergraduate students who have completed all degree requirements with academic distinction. In order to be eligible for general honors, a student must have completed a minimum of 50 credit hours in residence at the Lindenwood University system. (Transferred credits and experiential learning credits do not count toward in-residence credit hours.) A student whose Lindenwood University system cumulative GPA falls within certain ranges are eligible for honors as follows:
- The student who achieves a cumulative GPA between 3.70 and 3.85 receives the degree cum laude.
- The student who achieves a cumulative GPA between 3.86 and 3.93 receives the degree magna cum laude.
- The student who achieves a cumulative GPA of 3.94 or above receives the degree summa cum laude.
Note: Graduate students are not awarded general honors.
Following the end of the fall and spring semesters, the provost announces the names of semester undergraduate students who were enrolled full-time and achieved a grade point average of 3.5 or above.
Note: Preparatory classes are not used in the calculation of the dean's list.
University Honors are reserved for exceptional students who demonstrate intelligence, initiative, and perseverance in fulfilling requirements beyond those asked of others. Meeting these expectations exhibits the students’ commitment to excellence; such students are members of the university’s Honors College.
The Honors College offers semester undergraduate students a special opportunity to be recognized for excellence and extra effort in their coursework. Graduating with such honors is the highest award Lindenwood bestows. This achievement is announced at graduation and recipients wear purple braids at the ceremony. “University Honors” also appears on the student’s diploma and transcript. All courses completed for honors credit are designated as such on the student’s transcript.
To apply for membership in the Honors College, an incoming freshman must score a 29 or above on the ACT. Incoming honors students may take up to 19 credit hours in their first term without being charged an overload fee. A transferring or returning student must have a 3.3 GPA to apply for honors courses.
Any undergraduate course may be taken for honors credit with the permission of the professor. To earn honors credit in a non-honors section, students must successfully complete an extra project mutually agreed upon by the professor and student and earn an A in the course. Some students are eligible to register early due to their status as honors students. Early registration for honors students is contingent on having four honors courses completed by the beginning of the junior year and six honors courses completed by the beginning of the senior year.
To graduate with University Honors, a student must complete 24 hours of honors credit at multiple levels of coursework.