Students who apply to the University by November 1 are automatically considered for the Honors College based on everything that’s in your application to the University. Honors considers your high school transcript, your essay, activities, letters of recommendation, and all other materials that are part of your University application. Invitations to the Honors College are included as part of the admission letter incoming students receive to the University. The Honors College then asks invited students in February to let us know their program preference, so we can match them with a specific program in Honors … including University Honors! Additional information may be found on our website and through the Honors College.
You can apply to join the Honors College (and specify a preference for UH) after completing one academic year. The application for rising sophomores is made available each summer, after Spring semester grades have been posted.
Honors College students may apply to change programs in their second semester. The application will be posted on the Honors College web site. If you would like to switch into University Honors, you would need to complete all of the UH requirements, beginning with Gateway Seminar (HNUH100, 1 credit). Courses completed in your first year in a different Honors College living-learning program do not count toward the UH citation.
First-year UH students reside in Heritage Community (in Johnson-Whittle Hall or Pyon-Chen Hall) unless they choose to opt out of living in UH’s living-learning community (see below for instructions). Provided that they complete the application for residence hall housing before the May 1 priority deadline, and unless they specifically request to opt out of living with UH, first-year UH students are assigned to UH housing in Heritage Community by the Department of Resident Life. First-year UH students who opt out of living with UH will be assigned housing outside of Heritage Community.
No, University Honors does not have a residency requirement. However, if you apply for on-campus housing, the Department of Resident Life will automatically assign you to UH housing unless you specifically request to opt out of living with UH (see below).
As members of the Honors College, University Honors students are able to return to residence hall campus housing through their senior year, provided that they remain in campus housing continuously (except for study abroad) and meet Resident Life deadlines for housing agreements and room selection. Specific residence halls cannot be guaranteed for returning students, as room assignments depend on space availability in a given building. Please refer to Resident Life Housing Commitments Policy at: http://reslife.umd.edu/housing/housingcommitments/.
Roommate Finder is the tool students will use to request a roommate. As a UH student, you may only select a roommate from other UH students within Roommate Finder. If you wish to select your own roommate, the Roommate Finder platform is the best way to identify and search for other students in the UH program. If you do not select a specific roommate, you will be assigned a roommate from within the UH program based on your living preferences. If you are interested in living with a roommate who is not in UH, you must opt out of living in the UH living-learning community (see below). If you opt out of living with UH, you will be assigned housing outside of Heritage Community.
If you are interested in opting out of living with UH, you must notify Resident Life (before June 19) by emailing reslife@umd.edu and requesting to opt out of UH housing. In that email, please include your UID, a phone number to contact you, and your reason for opting out. You will be contacted by a UH staff member to confirm your living preferences. If you opt out of living with UH, you will be assigned housing outside of Heritage Community.
In order to live with a student that is not in UH, you must first opt out of living with UH (see above). At that time, you will be able to work with Resident Life to request your preferred roommate. Please note that if you opt out of living with UH, you will be assigned housing outside of Heritage Community.
For general questions about the orientation itself, please contact the Orientation Office at askorientation@umd.edu or 301-314-8217. For questions about the University Honors specifically, please contact Migdalia Maldonado (Associate Director for Student Engagement & Leadership). For advising questions (e.g., course selection), please contact Dario Middleton (Assistant Director for Student Achievement).
You only need to do one orientation. The University Honors orientation covers all of the things that a regular orientation does, plus extra information just for UH students.
Registration for fall courses is part of your orientation. When you have completed orientation, you should be registered for a full schedule, which is generally between 14-17 credits for most Honors students.
One is required, two are recommended.
Start with our Gateway Seminar (HNUH 100). This 1-credit course is required for all first-semester UH students. Gateway Seminar is offered in Fall semester only and is open exclusively to first-semester UH students.
In addition, we strongly recommend that students enroll in a 200-level HNUH course selected from our Thematic Clusters and Theory & Practice Tracks. All of our courses satisfy GenEd requirements and help you progress toward the completion of your Honors Citation, while allowing you to explore interesting topics outside your major. Cluster courses and most Track courses are non-sequential, and more than one may be taken in any semester.
If UNIV 100 is required by the your major, both should be taken. HNUH 100 (Gateway Seminar) is designed for and required of University Honors students. Its content differs from UNIV 100. If UNIV 100 is optional for your major, then the decision to take both is more of an individual choice.
Yes. You can drop and add classes during the summer, and through the first ten days of classes in Fall Semester.
Your primary academic advising comes from your major, which is in one of the academic colleges and schools that make up the University. Many colleges and schools have a general advising office in your first year or two, and typically assign you a staff or faculty advisor in your junior and senior years. If you are a double major, you’ll pick one of them to be your primary major, which will provide your main academic advising. Further information about academic advising at Maryland is available here.
In University Honors, Dario Middleton (Assistant Director for Student Achievement) serves as an extra advising resource for UH students. Please feel free to consult him directly with questions concerning UH course offerings.
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