Skip to content Skip to main navigation Report an accessibility issue
Detail of medals while entering commencement inside Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center

Honors Fast Facts

University Honors offers high-potential scholars an elevated academic experience built around curiosity, collaboration, leadership, and impact. This draft page combines public program facts with internal working data so the site can mirror the style of a “fast facts” page while still leaving room for a few final numbers.

 

Honors by the Numbers

#8

National ranking

University Honors was ranked No. 8 among the nation’s honors colleges in 2026.

8,030

Applications received

Fall 2026 applications across CHP and HALS combined.

 

2,491

Admitted scholars

Fall 2026 admitted cohort across both honors programs.

 

2

Honors pathways

University Honors includes the Chancellor’s Honors Program and Haslam Leadership Scholars.

Fall 2026 academic profile: CHP

  • 2,475 admitted scholars
  • Middle 40–60% ACT superscore: 33–34
  • Middle 40–60% Scarlett Core GPA: 4.50–4.58

Fall 2026 academic profile: HALS

  • 16 admitted scholars
  • Middle 40–60% ACT superscore: 33–35
  • Middle 40–60% Scarlett Core GPA: 4.49–4.64

 

Student outcomes snapshot

The following working data compares honors and non-honors outcomes for positive career outcome, competitive salary, and four-year graduation rate.

Group

Positive career outcome
(Fall 2020 entry)

Competitive salary
(Fall 2020 entry)

4-year graduation rate
(Fall 2020 | 2021 entry)

HALS

93%

$73,916.67

93.3% | 100%

CHP

88%

$65,021.31

75.5% | 71.8%

Non-Honors

91%

$59,647.57

61.6% | 66.8%

Incoming student academic profiles

Group

Incoming average ACT
(Fall 2025 entry)

Incoming average ACT
(2026 entry)

HALS

32.0

TBD

CHP

33

33

Non-Honors

27.6

TBD

University Honors at a Glance

Two distinct honors experiences

University Honors includes two programs. The Chancellor’s Honors Program is the university’s largest interdisciplinary honors pathway and centers on complex problem-solving. Haslam Leadership Scholars is a selective, four-year cohort model focused on developing community-minded leaders.

While not required, scholars in these two programs are encouraged to layer in major and college-level honors programs to add disciplinary depth to their learning.

Curriculum with purpose

CHP students complete a minor in complex problem-solving, while HALS students complete a leadership minor. Both programs are designed to help students connect academic excellence with real-world impact. Both programs also have dedicated faculty members to support the Honors curriculum.

Community and belonging

First-year scholars in CHP and HALS live in the Honors Living Learning Community, where they take part in honors-specific programming, build close peer relationships, and begin their UT experience in a strong academic community.

Built-in academic support

Honors coaching supports students’ academic, personal, and professional goals throughout their time at UT, helping scholars make the most of the honors experience.

 

Priority access and elevated opportunity

Honors students receive Priority Registration, which helps them plan ahead and access the courses they need. University Honors students also gain access to an exclusive honors lounge, engagement programming, Honors coaches, and other support resources for scholars.

Research and experiential learning

Honors students pursue high-impact experiences that connect classroom learning with faculty mentorship, research, capstones, applied projects, and nationally competitive scholarships and fellowships—all as part of a broader culture of academic ambition and public impact.