2025-2026 Undergraduate Catalog
Judy Genshaft Honors College
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Programs
About the College
Tampa campus
12260 USF Genshaft Dr., HON 1001
Tampa, FL 33620
(813) 974-3087
The Judy Genshaft Honors College Building (HON) is located between the Yuengling Center, Muma College of Business, and Cooper Hall.
St. Petersburg campus
140 7th Ave South, SNL 100
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
(727) 873-4583
Snell House (SNL) is located at 501 Second St. South, St. Petersburg, FL.
The Judy Genshaft Honors College offers remarkable learning experiences that combine the resources of one of the nation’s top research universities with the personal attention and intellectual community you’d typically expect from a smaller institution.
Across USF campuses, the Judy Genshaft Honors College fosters a thriving learning environment that empowers students to reach their full potential by:
- Providing a distinctive interdisciplinary Honors curriculum featuring small classes taught by engaged and creative faculty.
- Offering meaningful experiential learning opportunities in community service, global studies, and leadership.
- Empowering student achievement with expert individual academic advising and world-class opportunities through the Office of National Scholars.
- Encouraging each student to participate in a significant and rewarding research experience that takes advantage of USF’s resources as an AAU public research institution.
- Sponsoring an Honors residential experience that allows students to establish formative relationships with other like-minded Honors students.
- Supporting every eligible student with an Honors scholarship worth up to $2,000, plus the opportunity to win one of nearly 40 academic and travel scholarships that awarded Honors students over $1M in 2024-25.
With locations across our Tampa Bay community, students can find the perfect environment to pursue their personal and academic goals while embracing our shared commitments to a healthy humanity, sustainable futures, and engaged citizenship.
Mission, Vision, Values
At the Judy Genshaft Honors College we strive to provide the finest Honors education experience in the nation.
Our mission is to provide transformative, interdisciplinary educational opportunities that prepare highly motivated, intellectually curious, and service-oriented students to gain practical wisdom and become engaged thought leaders of the twenty-first century.
We are driven by three core commitments that reflect our collective convictions and capture the interdisciplinary spirit of the college: Healthy Humanity, Sustainable Futures, and Engaged Citizenship. These three values are infused into everything we do — from our course offerings and experiential learning opportunities to our special programs and events.
Admission Requirements
Admission for First Time in College (FTIC) Students
The Judy Genshaft Honors College is open to students of all majors on the Tampa and St. Petersburg campuses. We actively recruit students who have demonstrated academic excellence through standardized test scores and high school GPA. We also know that excellence takes a variety of forms, and therefore we encourage applications from any student who wants to be considered on the basis of their achievements.
The Judy Genshaft Honors College application requires students to submit an essay and describe up to five extracurricular engagements from high school. Applications are reviewed by a team of current Honors students, faculty, and staff.
The application link can be found on the Honors First Time in College Admissions webpage.
Beginning with the Fall 2025 entering class, students who are admitted to USF and who have been named National Merit Semifinalists and Finalists will be automatically admitted to the Judy Genshaft Honors College. These students are not required to submit a Judy Genshaft Honors College application and should be notified of their admission to the Honors College alongside or following their official USF admission decision.
Admission for Transfer or Current USF Students
The Judy Genshaft Honors College offers admission for students who are already enrolled as USF students, or who are transferring to USF from a state or community college.
More information for both groups can be found on the Honors Admissions webpage.
Program-Specific Requirements
ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS FOR GRADUATION WITH JUDY GENSHAFT HONORS COLLEGE DISTINCTION
Completion of the Judy Genshaft Honors College curriculum with a USF GPA of 3.25 or above shall be noted on a student’s diploma and transcript and recognized at the Judy Genshaft Honors College Graduate Recognition Ceremony.
FTIC students are required to complete:
Transfer/current students must complete:
- Two Honors core courses of their choosing
HONORS CORE COURSES:
RESEARCH REQUIREMENTS FOR GRADUATION WITH JUDY GENSHAFT HONORS COLLEGE DISTINCTION
All Honors students are required to complete a culminating research experience to graduate with Honors distinction. Students may complete an individual thesis project under the guidance of a chosen faculty mentor, or participate in a group-based, instructor-led capstone course. For students with majors that offer departmental honors, a departmental honors thesis may be used to satisfy the honors college thesis requirement.
RESEARCH COURSES:
*Students who elect to complete the Honors Capstone will be required to complete one additional core Honors course. This requirement is waived for FTIC Engineering majors.
EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING REQUIREMENTS FOR GRADUATION WITH JUDY GENSHAFT HONORS COLLEGE DISTINCTION
Experiential learning is learning through hands-on experience and then reflecting on the experience. This process helps students understand their strengths and transfer these experiences to future academic and professional endeavors.
Students are required to complete and document two significant experiential learning activities, selected from two different categories:
- Career & Leadership Experience
- Community Service
- Creative & Artistic Experience
- Global Experience
- Research
To encourage Honors students to explore new opportunities while in college, activities completed before arriving at USF do not count towards the experiential learning requirement.
More information about Honors experiential learning requirements can be found on the Experiential Learning Requirements webpage.
Grading Requirements and Policies
Students in good academic standing have a minimum 3.25 overall GPA (all graded attempts are calculated), are actively completing the requirements for the Judy Genshaft Honors College, and have completed an IDH core course in the previous three fall/spring semesters.
- If a student’s overall GPA falls below a 3.25 (but is 2.75 or higher), they will be placed on Honors College probation. Students on probation are at risk of losing their Honors scholarship but are still eligible to enroll in Honors courses and see their Honors advisor. Students will be removed from the probationary status if and when the GPA reaches a 3.25 again. If a student’s GPA falls below 2.75, they will be dismissed from the Honors College.
- Any student who earns a “D” or “F” in an Honors course will be dismissed from the College. Appeals will be considered, especially when extenuating circumstances exist.
A 3.25 overall GPA is required for Honors scholarships and graduation with Honors College distinction.
Honors Scholarships
Judy Genshaft Honors College students receive $2,000 in scholarships once they complete their Honors graduation requirements (two Experiential Learning activities and the Honors Academic Requirements). This award is paid in three installments during the students’ academic career:
- $600 after completing the first Experiential Learning activity
- $600 after completing the second Experiential Learning activity
- $800 after completing the Honors Academic Curriculum (including Thesis or Capstone)
Each of the three scholarships is paid out once and they are nonrenewable.
STUDY ABROAD SCHOLARSHIPS
The Judy Genshaft Honors College strives to provide students with the opportunity to expand their global awareness and understanding through college sponsored study abroad programs. Most Honors students studying abroad on Honors College programs qualify for generous travel scholarships to fund study abroad opportunities across the globe.
More information can be found on the Honors Scholarships webpage.
HOSTED SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMS
The Judy Genshaft Honors College hosts several scholarship programs for both incoming and current Honors and non-Honors students, including the Jenkins Scholars Program, the Holcombe Scholars Program, the Robert and Susan Ableidinger Scholarship, and the Wilcox Scholars Program.
For more information, please see the Honors Hosted Scholarships webpage.
USF OFFICE OF NATIONAL SCHOLARS
Based within the Judy Genshaft Honors College, the USF Office of National Scholars (ONS) offers highly personalized mentoring and support to high-achieving USF undergraduate and graduate students as they apply for nationally competitive scholarships, fellowships, and awards such as the Rhodes, Marshall, Mitchell, Fulbright, Goldwater, and Truman awards, the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program, the Gates-Cambridge Scholarship, and others.
Some awards support graduate or professional study in the U.S., while others involve education abroad or independent research. These opportunities are open to all qualified USF students who wish to apply.
For more information, please visit the ONS website.
Judy Genshaft Honors College Living Learning Communities (LLC)
The Honors LLC is a residential experience open to USF Honors students on the Tampa and St. Petersburg campuses. Students living in the Honors LLC have access to career workshops, study away/abroad opportunities, and service learning. Students are also able to engage in social events and excursions to places like Disney World and Florida’s Space Coast. Additionally, these communities provide students with academic resources, allowing students to engage with faculty and advisors and participate in professional development activities, such as Dinner with the Deans. The Honors LLCs at St. Petersburg and Tampa ensure a built-in network of support from day one, helping students build meaningful connections with peers, faculty, and staff.
For more information, visit the Judy Genshaft Honors College Housing webpage.
Honors Accelerated/Early Acceptance Programs
ACCELERATED GRADUATE PATHWAY PROGRAMS
The Judy Genshaft Honors College offers several options for highly motivated students interested in accelerating their journey to graduate school, including:
- Medicine: The 7-year B.S./M.D. program with USF Morsani College of Medicine
- Pharmacy: The 7-year B.S./Pharm.D. program with USF Taneja College of Pharmacy
- Law: The 3+3 Bachelor’s/J.D. program with Stetson University College of Law
For more information, please see the Honors Accelerated Programs webpage.
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