University Of California, Berkeley
Office of Undergraduate Advising

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College of Letters & Science

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Finding Your Way for Freshmen

Finding Your Way (FYW) is a comprehensive program for first-year students in the College of Letters and Science. This website will serve as the primary means of communicating important information and updates for freshmen throughout the year.

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The College awards several honors for outstanding academic achievement, as follows:

Honors to Date

After each term an "Honors to Date" notation will appear on the transcripts of qualifying students. To qualify:

  • At least 12 units completed at Berkeley for a letter grade
  • Overall GPA equal to or higher than the GPA established for Distinction in General Scholarship (average GPAs of top 20% of L&S graduates for the previous four years)

Dean's Honors List

The Dean's Honors List is posted here. To be included on the list:

  • 13 or more units completed on a letter-graded basis for the semester
  • GPA for semester must be in top 4% of L&S undergraduates (GPA normally about 3.85)
  • No I, NR, or NP grades, or courses for which no grades have yet been submitted for the semester

If you meet these requirements, you will also receive a congratulatory letter from the Dean.

Distinction in General Scholarship at Graduation

To be honored at graduation for overall scholarship

  • At least 50 units must have been completed in residence at Berkeley (including UCB Extension XB courses)
  • A maximum of 20 units may be counted toward the required 50 units from either the UC Berkeley Washington Program (UCDC) or the Education Abroad Program (EAP)
  • Of these, at least 43 must have been taken for a letter grade (physical education activities courses don't count)
  • Your GPA in all letter-graded courses taken in residence at Berkeley must be equal to or higher than the GPA established for Distinction, High Distinction, or Highest Distinction in the year in which you graduate

General Scholarship Honors for the academic year 2007-2008:

Highest Honors: 3.923 High Honors: 3.806 Honors: 3.677 Minimum Semester Honors: 3.677

UC Berkeley does not use the Latin terminology for honors. It may be understood that highest distinction is equivalent to summa cum laude; high distinction to magna cum laude; and distinction is equivalent to cum laude.

Honors in the Major

Each major program develops its own honors program. See your major adviser for details.

Honors Privileges

As an honor student, you are entitled to the following privileges:

  • You may enroll in the honors program in your major, provided you also have the required GPA in courses in the major and the approval of the major department.

  • As a senior honor student (that is, if you have attained "Honors to Date" in your junior year) you may, with the dean's approval, enroll in fewer than 13 units in order to complete the honors program in your major.

  • The major department may waive requirements concerning specific courses or sequences in your major.