Updated as of February 11, 2026
University Honors offers high-potential scholars the opportunity to nurture their curiosity, collaborate with others, and make an impact in Tennessee and beyond.
University Honors encompasses two programs, the Chancellor’s Honors Program and the Haslam Leadership Scholars Program.
- The Chancellor’s Honors Program is the university’s largest interdisciplinary honors program with a minor in complex-problem solving. These scholars choose complex problems and learn how to confront them in collaborative peer groups. Due to a generous donation received in the fall of 2025, the Chancellor’s Honors Program is able to offer additional benefits to the incoming fall 2026 cohort in the form of the below fellowships:
- Global Fellows: Focused on creating globally engaged, ethically grounded leaders, this cohort-based fellows tier provides a fully funded, selective, faculty-led global immersion trip focused on impacting a global complex challenge.
- Catalyst Fellow: Designed to remove financial barriers to high-impact educational experiences, empowering a broader cohort of top scholars to maximize their undergraduate matriculation, this fellows tier provides $2,500 in essential additional funding to fuel high-impact opportunities, including elite undergraduate research, education abroad, and high-value internships.
- Summit Fellow: Focused on giving the ability for students to apply for support in the participation of high-impact educational experiences by offering experience grants, this fellows tier provides the ability to apply for essential additional funding (up to $1,500) to fuel high-impact opportunities, including elite undergraduate research, education abroad, and high-value internships.
- The Haslam Leadership Scholars program develops community-minded and intellectually gifted young leaders through a series of transformational learning experiences and leadership minor.
Appeals Process
Applicants to the Chancellor’s Honors Program that were designed as “Waitlist” or “Denied” may appeal the decision. To appeal the decision, prospective scholars will need to fill out a Chancellor’s Honors Program Application Appeal Form no later than 11:59 pm (EST) on February 6, 2026.
Please note that this appeal is only valid for applications submitted prior to the original 2026 Chancellor’s Honors Program application deadline. Additionally, all appeal decisions are final.
Application Process and Deadlines
University Honors completes a holistic review of each application. A “holistic review” means assessing applicants by considering their entire background and experiences, not just academic metrics like grades and test scores. It’s a comprehensive evaluation that looks at the “whole person” to understand their potential for success in college and beyond.
Our admissions review process considers experience and preparation in academic areas as well as other factors including:
- ACT/SAT scores
- Academic preparedness
- Extracurricular involvement and lived experiences
- Awards and recognition
- College and academic program of interest
- Geographic representation across the state of Tennessee
Important Deadlines for Fall 2026 University Honors
First-Year Students Important Dates
- University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Early-Action Deadline: November 1, 2025
- University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Completion Date: November 15, 2025
- Chancellor’s Honors Program Deadline: November 19, 2025
- Haslam Leadership Scholars Deadline: November 21, 2025
Transfer Students Important Dates
- University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Transfer Deadline: July 1, 2026
- Chancellor’s Honors Program Transfer Application Deadline: July 15, 2026
Access Transfer Student Application
University Honors Release Dates
Decisions for each University Honors program are sent at separate times. Chancellor’s Honors Programs applicants will be informed if they had been admitted, waitlisted, or denied to the program on a rolling basis beginning December 8 through December 19. Students originally waitlisted to the program are informed of final decisions in April. Students offered a spot in the Chancellor’s Honors Program must first confirm their enrollment to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, before they can confirm their spot in University Honors. The deadline to confirm to UT is May 1.
Initial decisions for the Haslam Leadership Scholars are released in mid-January.
Admissions Definitions
University Honors uses admissions terms as defined by UT’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions.
- Admitted
- Students who receive an admissions decision of “Admitted” to University Honors are admitted to the entering fall class. Admitted students should confirm enrollment by the May 1 deadline to reserve their place in the upcoming class and to complete the next steps, like submitting an on-campus University Honors LLC housing application.
- Waitlisted
- Students who receive an admissions decision of University Honors “Waitlist” are neither admitted nor denied.
- Denied
- Students with a “Denied” decision are not offered admission to University Honors.
Frequently Asked Questions
Applicants to the Chancellor’s Honors Program that were designed as “Waitlist” or “Denied” may appeal the decision. To appeal the decision, prospective scholars will need to fill out the Chancellor’s Honors Program Application Appeal Form no later than 11:59 pm (EST) on February 6, 2026.
Please note that this appeal is only valid for applications submitted prior to the original 2026 Chancellor’s Honors Program application deadline. Additionally, all appeal decisions are final.
A student on the waitlist has not been admitted or denied admission to University Honors.
Students who receive an admissions decision of University Honors “waitlist” will be notified of change in their status by mid-April.
Our waitlist is not ranked, and we review students holistically when determining which students will be admitted from the waitlist.
The University Honors waitlist is not the same as the university’s general waitlist.
Students must be admitted to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, prior to being admitted to University Honors.
University Honors makes decisions to admit or deny students on its waitlist separately from the university.
Only incoming first-year and transfer students can be admitted to University Honors.
Current students can often find honors opportunities within their college and departmental honors programs.
If you did not receive an invitation to apply for University Honors after applying to the university by the Early Action Deadline, you may request an application.
The application must be completed by the University Honors deadline.
Students who are denied admittance to University Honors have not been offered admission to University Honors. This does not necessarily mean, however, the student has been denied admission to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Students who are denied to the Chancellor’s Honors Program may appeal that decision with University Honors if new relevant academic information becomes available before the appeal deadline.
Students can still apply to other honors opportunities at UT. In addition to University Honors, the university offers opportunities in specific college or departmental honors programs. They are designed to build disciplinary depth after or complementary to the interdisciplinary breadth of University Honors.
University Honors students are encouraged to seek these additional honors opportunities.