There are several scholarships and fellowships available for students in the College of Natural Sciences, as well as out-of-state tuition waivers.

There are a number of ways that undergraduates in the College of Natural Sciences can earn honors distinction during their time at The University of Texas at Austin.

You can apply and be accepted to either of the college's four-year honors degree programs:

• Dean's Scholars Honors
• Turing Scholars

• Departmental Honors

You can achieve a high GPA and be recognized with one (or more) of the following distinctions:

• College Scholars
• Distinguished College Scholars
• University Honors List
• Graduating with Honors
• Graduating with High Honors
• Graduating with Highest Honors

You can join one of the many honors societies:

• Alpha Epsilon Delta
• Alpha Phi Sigma
• Beta Beta Beta

Dean's Scholars

Dean's Scholars Honors is a 4-year degree program in which students earn a Bachelors of Science that is designated as an honors degree in any of the majors offered by the College of Natural Sciences.

Among the program's benefits are smaller courses that are developed specifically for honors students and an innovative, interdisciplinary curriculum that features more elective hours than standard degree plans.  Dean's scholars also receive support for research opportunities which culminates in faculty-directed research projects and honors theses.

Dean's Scholars forma close-knit community distinguished by special dinners hosted by faculty members, lunchtime discussions, weekend field trips, extracurricular activities, and the opportunity to live in an honors dormitory.

For more information about the Dean's Scholars program, click here.

Turing Scholars

The Turing Scholars Program is a 4-year degree program for outstanding undergraduates to earn a special honors degree in the Computer Science major.  Among the program's aspects are an intensive, accelerated freshman year program designed to immerse students in their studies and to let them complete three semesters of work in only two semesters.

There are also special honors versions of standard CS courses for students in their sophomore through senior years, and support for undergraduate research that culminates in an undergraduate honors thesis.  Turing scholars are also given the opportunity to live in an honors dormitory.

For more information about the Turing Scholars program, click here.

Departmental Honors

Most departments in the College of Natural Sciences offer departmental honors programs for their students.  Minimum requirements for the completion of such programs include:

- A three-semester-hour thesis or research project, or a reasonable equivalent, with a grade of at least a "B" or higher.

- A University grade point average of at least 3.00.

- Completion, with a grade point average of at least 3.50, in the coursework required for a major in the field in which the student seeks honors.

For more information about Departmental Honors, click here.

College Honors

On Honors Day each spring, the university recognizes students who've excelled in their studies over the course of their college career.  These outstanding students are designated as College Scholars and Distinguished College Scholars. Students who are eligible for recognition receive invitations to the Honors Day convocation about three weeks before Honors Day.

In order to be designated either a College Scholar or a Distinguished College Scholar, a student must:

- Be enrolled full-time.

- Have completed at least fifteen semester hours of coursework in either the spring or the fall semester of the previous year.

- Have completed at least thirty semester hours of coursework at the University and at least sixty total semester hours of college coursework (including transferred work and credit by examination).

For more information about College Honors, click here.

University Honors

Each semester, undergraduates who complete a full course load and earn outstanding grades are recognized by inclusion on the University Honors list.  Each time a student is included on the list, his or her official record also shows the award of University Honors for that semester.

Graduating "With Honors" is a designation given to undergraduates at the culmination of their academic studies at the university, and it recognizes the students whose cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) is the highest among the graduating class.

- The top 20% of the graduating class can receive "Honors."

- The top 10% of the graduating class can receive "High Honors."

- The top 4% of the graduating class can receive "Highest Honors."

For more information about University Honors, click here.

Honor Societies

Honor societies are student organizations that require their members to demonstrate high academic achievement. There are a number of College of Natural Sciences-specific honor societies.  Some of these include national premedical honors societies, biological honors societies, and premedical/predental honors societies.

Natural sciences students are also eligible for membership in university-wide honor societies.

For more information about Honor Societies, click here.

Scholarships & Fellowships

The college and the university award a multitude of scholarships to natural sciences students each year. Some awards are merit-based, others are need-based, and many are available only to students who've chosen a particular area of study or who meet particular biographical criteria.  To learn more about scholarships and fellowships, click here.

Out-of-State Tuition

Authorization agreements (commonly known as tuition waivers) allow non-resident students to pay tuition at in-state rates.