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. 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 the Honors College website. 

Students transferring approximately one year or less of coursework can apply to join the Honors College (and preference UH). Learn more about options for transfer students here.

Students 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. If you’re interested in making this change, contact the Honors College here.

If you switch into University Honors, you would need to complete all of the UH requirements, beginning with HNUH100 (our 1-credit Gateway Seminar). Courses completed in your first year in a different Honors College living-learning program do not count toward the UH citation.

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. If there are concerns about your housing, contact Resident Life (reslife@umd.edu) including your UID, a phone number to contact you, and a statement regarding your concern.

First-year UH students who choose to reside on campus are assigned to UH housing in the Heritage Community (Johnson-Whittle Hall or Pyon-Chen Hall) by the Department of Resident Life (provided that students complete the residence hall and dining plan applications before the May 1 deadline).

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 for details.

Roommate Finder is the tool students will use to request a roommate. 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 by contacting Resident Life. If you opt out of living with fellow UH students, you will be assigned housing outside of the 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 Orientation specifically, please contact us at university-honors@umd.edu.

No. 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.

The short answer is six: HNUH100 (1 credit) in your first semester , four 3-credit courses in your first and second year, and HNUH300 (2-credits) in your fourth or fifth semester. This totals the 15 credits of UH coursework that is required to earn the Honors Citation.

Each Thematic Cluster is offered for two years. Eight Clusters are offered at any given time. Each year, four Clusters phase out, while another four phase in. 

Theory & Practice Tracks do not have a predetermined lifecycle and are offered annually. 

UH is designed to be completed in five semesters or less. Students who foresee difficulty completing their citations by their fifth full-time semester are required to contact the Assistant Director for Academic Life before the conclusion of their second year. 

Your primary academic advising comes from your major. 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. Further information about academic advising at Maryland is available here.

In University Honors, Mr. Dario Middleton (Assistant Director for Academic Life) serves as an extra advising resource for UH students. Please feel free to consult him directly with questions concerning UH course offerings.