Students have at least a 2.5 cumulative GPA and 3.5 or higher for the semester. Students must have received no incompletes in graded courses, no unreported grades, or end-of-semester academic actions for the semester. Credit/no credit and pass/fail courses are not considered in meeting the requirements for the Dean's List.
Undergraduate students are invited to wear an honors stole at graduation if they have indicated they expect to graduate at the conclusion of the current semester, have a cumulative GPA that places them in the top 20% of students expecting to graduate in their school/college, and have earned at least 60 credits in residence at UW-Madison. Credits in progress in the current semester count towards the 60 credit requirement.
Graduating With Distinction is a separate calculation and is posted to the undergraduate student's transcript after all grades and degrees have been recorded. Students qualify for the Distinction notation if they have received their degree, have a cumulative GPA that places them in the top 20% of degree recipients in their school/college, and have earned at least 60 credits in residence at UW-Madison.
Through a unique collaboration between the
The L&S Honors Program seeks students who desire to be active learners and who want to expand their leadership and service capacities beyond the classroom. The Honors Program requires students to take honors courses in a wide variety of disciplines, and by so doing to become familiar with the diverse ways disciplines in the humanities, the social sciences, and the natural sciences explore the frontiers of knowledge. While Honors students often seek to challenge themselves academically, many also engage in a wide array of service and volunteer activities. They seek out co-curricular opportunities, and they take on leadership roles both at the university and in the broader community. In addition to its curriculum, the Honors Program offers professional advising services; grants, scholarships, and awards, particularly for introductory and Senior Honors Thesis research; study abroad opportunities, and numerous academic, social, and service opportunities through the Honors Student Organization.
To learn more about the L&S Honors options and
curricula, please visit the program's Web
site. Students with questions about how L&S Honors
connects with
Interested students are invited to apply to the program. Admission is competitive and space is limited, but incoming first-year students who did not apply, or are denied admission, may apply later as continuing students.
The generosity of alumni and friends has enabled the School of Education to distribute approximately $300,000 in scholarships and awards to deserving undergraduate students. Half of these were awarded through a schoolwide competitive process; the other half were awarded by individual departments and programs. See a list of undergraduate scholarships at the Education Academic Services Web site. Students who receive scholarships have a chance to meet many donors and to celebrate their awards at an awards and honors banquet.
The selection criteria for specific scholarships and awards vary and may include academic performance, excellence in a specific field or area, potential as a prospective teacher, leadership ability, personal attributes (such as returning adult status or home county), and financial need. All scholarship and award recipients must be in good academic standing in the School of Education. Note that the School of Education scholarship process is separate from the financial aid process administered by the UW-Madison Office of Student Financial Services. Awards from the school are reported to Student Financial Services and accounted for in financial aid packages offered by that office.
Schoolwide scholarships for undergraduates are designated for those seeking teacher certification; most go to students already admitted to professional teacher education programs. Finalists are selected from among all applicants by a selection committee, which, in consultation with dean’s office staff, determines the recipients. While many are awarded, the number of scholarships is substantially smaller than the number of eligible students.
Many departmental scholarships and awards are available for students in
School of Education majors unrelated to teaching. These require separate
applications; for information, contact the department or program.
Eligible students are usually contacted directly by the School of Education regarding
scholarship applications. For additional information about schoolwide scholarships, please contact
Sue O'Rourke, Education Academic Services, 608-262-1173,
orourke@education.wisc.edu.
Students willing to teach in "high-need" teaching fields can receive TEACH grants of up to $4000 per year for a total of $16,000 over their undergraduate academic career. “High-need” teaching fields are defined as mathematics, science, foreign language, bilingual education, special education, reading specialist, or in another field documented as "high-need" by the federal government and/or state or local education agency (LEA).
Students receiving TEACH grants must complete a service obligation of four years of teaching their high-need subject in a designated “low-income” school within their first eight years of teaching. "Low-income schools" are defined as public or private nonprofit elementary or secondary schools eligible for assistance under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. In Wisconsin over a thousand schools are designated as "low income."
TEACH grant applicants must attain certain academic eligibility criteria. For example, candidates must have scored minimally above the 75th percentile on a nationally normed admissions test or have earned a 3.25 minimum cumulative grade point average. TEACH grants are not need-based, so students may receive them without regard to financial background. Grant recipients must have completed a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to be eligible.
Students should indicate their interest in the TEACH Grant program via their FAFSA.