The mission of the James Scholar Program within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is to empower our students to be global citizens and global stewards; to enlighten them with deeper understanding of the diverse world in which they live; and to engage with the core values and responsibilities of moving toward a sustainable future. 

All LAS James Scholars are responsible for familiarizing themselves with the complete LAS Honors Student Handbook, which includes further requirement details and examples.

• Students must be full-time (12 credit hours per semester) to retain eligibility in the James Scholar Program. Underloads (semesters below 12 hours) are allowed if approved by the College of LAS.
   
• Students must have a cumulative University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign GPA of 3.30 at the end of every academic year to meet the GPA requirement of the James Scholar Program in LAS. At the completion of their first semester at Illinois, first-year LAS James Scholars must have an Illinois cumulative GPA of at least 3.1 in order to continue as a James Scholar.
   
• Illinois Code of Conduct on Academic Integrity and the LAS James Scholar Program: James Scholars and nominees are held responsible for adherence to the rules for Academic Integrity at Illinois (Code of Policies and Regulations Applying to all Students, Article 1, Part 4). Students who are found to have been penalized within the scope of Article 1, Part 4 will automatically forfeit their LAS James Scholar membership and privileges.

Visit the LAS Honors program requirements page for more information about James Scholar requirements.

To graduate with distinction requires a specified minimum grade point average in all Computer Science, Statistics, and Mathematics courses listed below. A GPA of 3.25 is required for Distinction, 3.5 for High Distinction, and 3.75 for Highest Distinction. All students on the pending degree list for a given term are reviewed for distinction; there is no separate form or application for consideration.

The Dean's List is prepared each semester to honor all full-time students whose grade-point average (GPA) for that semester ranks in the upper 20 percent of their college. The minimum GPA establishing eligibility for the LAS Dean's List in 2023-2024 is 3.93. To be eligible for Dean's List recognition, students must complete at least 12 academic semester hours taken for a letter grade (A through F). This excludes courses graded credit/no credit, satisfactory/unsatisfactory, and test-based credit that is graded pass/fail. No consideration is given for the Dean's List until all final traditional grades are posted.

Visit the College of Liberal Arts & Science College Distinctions page for more information.

To earn College Latin Honors (Summa Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude, or Cum Laude), a student is required to have both the appropriate GPA and to have completed one of the following:

• 25 honors hours, OR
• 35 advanced hours (300/400 level), OR
• LAS James Scholar Graduation Honors, OR
• Departmental Distinction

The minimum must be met by both the comprehensive university GPA (including transfer work) and the cumulative GPA of work taken on this campus. All semesters count for Latin Honors, so College Latin Honors isn't determined until the final semester grades post. Honors regalia is not awarded by the college for College Latin Honors. 

Visit the College of Liberal Arts & Science College Distinctions page for more information.

Continuous academic achievement is recognized at the University of Illinois by inscribing students’ names on the Bronze Tablets which hang in the campus Library. Bronze Tablet recipients must rank in the top 3 percent of the students of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. The actual GPA is recalculated every year and is based on all work completed at the university through the academic term prior to their graduation. To be identified as a Bronze Tablet recipient, transfer students, in addition to meeting the general rules for qualification, must also have earned at least 40 semester hours at this university and have cumulative University of Illinois grade point averages as high as the lowest eligible students who completed all of their academic work on this campus.

Visit the College of Liberal Arts & Science College Distinctions page for more information.