Welcome to the University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Letters and Science Honors Program! Below, you will find information for UW-Madison continuing and transfer students who are interested in the Honors Program.
Explore the Honors tracks!
Honors in the Liberal Arts (HLA)
Do you have a love for learning and enjoy exploring disciplines and areas outside your major?
Do you want to participate in small courses or discussion sections led by faculty members? Do you still need to complete your L&S breadth requirements?

Honors in the Major (HM)
Are you interested in focusing on your major(s) rather than breadth areas? Are you interested in working more closely with faculty in your department? Are you interested in a Senior Honors thesis?

Comprehensive Honors (CH)
Are you interested in both Honors coursework in all breadth areas as well as your major(s)? Do you have the time and capacity to pursue these interests?

Application Instructions
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Honors in the Liberal Arts
If you have 60 or more credits already, you can still apply to the Honors Program but may find it challenging to prioritize and complete HLA requirements. We also encourage you to consider pursuing Honors in the Major (HM).
Continuing students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and students transferring to Madison from another institution will be considered for admission to the Honors in the Liberal Arts (HLA) degree track based on their cumulative GPA (generally a 3.3 minimum) and their submission of:
You can print the Continuing and Transfer Student Application to complete, then upload and email it to honors@honors.ls.wisc.edu. Alternatively, you can complete the application digitally, then save the form by selecting the print icon and changing the “printer destination” to “Save as PDF.” You can then email the completed application, along with your personal essay responses, as attachments to honors@honors.ls.wisc.edu.
Honors in the Major
Students must first have declared their intended major. We encourage students interested in Honors in the Major to discuss the major-specific requirements with a departmental/major advisor as soon as possible. Major-specific requirements can also be found in the Guide.
Students can then complete Honors in the Major Declaration Form on our website after getting approval from a major advisor.
Comprehensive Honors
In order to pursue Comprehensive Honors, students must apply and be admitted to both the Honors in the Liberal Arts and Honors in the Major degree tracks. If you are interested in pursuing this track, we strongly recommend meeting with both major-specific advisors and Honors advisors to determine feasibility.
Questions?
Please review our Admissions FAQs page. We are happy to answer any other questions you may have. Please email us at honors@honors.ls.wisc.edu.