Purpose
This policy outlines the criteria for recognizing students for their academic success.
Scope
This policy applies to undergraduate students.
Policy
Dean’s List
Following the end of the fall and spring semesters, the provost announces the names of undergraduate students who were enrolled full-time and achieved a grade point average of 3.5 or above.
General Honors
The Lindenwood faculty awards general honors to those undergraduate students who have completed all degree requirements with academic distinction. In order to be eligible for general honors, a student must have completed a minimum of 50 credit hours in residence at Lindenwood University. (Transferred credits and experiential learning credits do not count toward in-residence credit hours.) Students whose Lindenwood cumulative grade point averages fall within certain ranges are eligible for honors as follows:
- The student who achieves a cumulative grade point average between 3.70 and 3.85 receives the degree cum laude.
- The student who achieves a cumulative grade point average between 3.86 and 3.93 receives the degree magna cum laude.
- The student who achieves a cumulative grade point average of 3.94 or above receives the degree summa cum laude.
Service Learning Honors
Lindenwood University embraces community service as an extension of service learning, in which students participate in community service not only to meet the needs of the community, but also to develop their critical thinking ability, commitment to values, and skills for effective citizenship.
Students who complete 500 hours of qualified community service during their time at Lindenwood will receive a designation on their permanent academic transcript to recognize their achievement. In addition, they will receive special recognition in commencement publications and receive a service cord they can wear at graduation.
Student participants must set up an account through LU Connect in the student portal. Once membership is approved, students can begin logging community service hours that will be approved on an ongoing basis. Graduating seniors must have achieved 500 documented, approved hours at least 60 days before their graduation date to allow time for verification and inclusion in ceremony publications. For more information on this program, please contact Director, Student Involvement.
University Honors Academy
The Honors Academy provides an enriched experience for students who want to be part of an engaged community of scholars. The Academy challenges students to go beyond regular undergraduate requirements and cultivate depth and breadth in their education.
The Honors Academy offers students a distinctive opportunity to be recognized for excellence in their coursework. Upon graduation, these students earn University Honors. Graduating with University Honors is the highest recognition Lindenwood bestows. This achievement is announced at graduation and recipients wear Honors cords at commencement. “University Honors” also appears on the student’s diploma and transcript. Acceptance into the Honors Academy is by application only. First-year students, transfer students, and returning students with a minimum GPA of 3.5 are eligible to apply. Students must be formally admitted to Lindenwood University to apply for admission to the Honors Academy.
There are two types of Honors courses. In Honors-designated courses, every student is automatically enrolled for Honors credit. A student must earn a final grade of AH or BH to receive Honors credit in these courses. In addition, any undergraduate course may be taken for Honors credit with the permission of the instructor. To earn Honors credit in a regular undergraduate course, students and instructors must agree on a project that enhances the course and makes it equivalent to an Honors course. To earn Honors credit for this type of a course, students must complete the Honors Course Agreement and earn a final grade of A.
To graduate with University Honors, a student must earn at least 24 Honors credit hours at various course levels and have an overall university GPA of 3.5 or above. The 24 Honors credit hours may include up to 12 credit hours of Honors transfer credit. Acceptance of transfer credit toward the completion of a student’s Honors credit requirement is at the discretion of the Honors Academy
Honors Academy students who do not maintain at least a 3.5 university GPA and/or are not completing Honors courses or courses for Honors credit every academic year may be removed from membership at any time at the discretion of the Honors Academy.
