Honors College

UNC Charlotte has set a goal to grow its honors population from 3.4 percent of all undergraduates today to 10 percent by the 2029-30 academic year. As of fall 2026, there are 1,094 honors students across 30 honors programs. The goal is for the University to have more than 2,800 honors students by 2029-30. To […]

The Honors College has named Erik Byker interim associate dean, effective Aug. 1. Byker, a professor in the Cato College of Education’s Department of Reading and Elementary Education, will serve a two-year appointment in the role. Byker succeeds Cindy Gilson, who is returning to the Cato College of Education faculty after serving two years as […]

Jeffrey B. Leak, a professor of English and Africana Studies at UNC Charlotte whose scholarship, leadership and mentorship helped shape nearly three decades of campus life, died June 29, 2026, after a two-year illness. He was 57. Leak held numerous leadership roles that impacted nearly every corner of UNC Charlotte, including faculty governance, athletics, interdisciplinary […]

UNC Charlotte’s Honors College hosted its 2026 All‑Honors Graduation and Awards Ceremony on Monday, April 27, bringing together students, families, faculty, staff and campus leaders to celebrate academic excellence and community achievement. “Each year, our honors students demonstrate what academic excellence and engaged citizenship look like at UNC Charlotte,” said Malin Pereira, dean of the […]

UNC Charlotte junior Arnav Sareen has been named the University’s fifth-ever recipient of the Barry Goldwater Scholarship — one of the nation’s most prestigious awards for undergraduate researchers. “Research is more than just a lofty endeavor reserved for graduate students and professors,” he said. “It is a way to apply what you have learned in […]

One family. Four merit scholarship recipients. A lasting Charlotte legacy. The family of Kim and Charles Derrick is deeply connected to UNC Charlotte’s Honors College. Their four children all went through the college, hold seven Charlotte degrees and certificates among them, and are now rooted in the Charlotte region. The family recently joined with dozens […]

Annabelle Hill has been awarded a Fulbright U.S. Student Program grant for the 2026-27 academic year. Hill will serve as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Malta, representing UNC Charlotte and the United States through teaching, cultural exchange and community engagement. Hill, a senior Levine Scholar and member of the Honors College, from Chattanooga, Tennessee, […]

Eight UNC Charlotte students have been nominated for four nationally competitive awards—the Barry Goldwater Scholarship, the Truman Scholarship, the Udall Undergraduate Scholarship and the James C. Gaither Junior Fellows Program. Charlotte nominees are Willis Flores, Ethan Harris, Justin Lindsay, Jasmine Oliver, Theo Palermo, Arnav Sareen, Olivia Stockwell ’25 and Avery Taylor. “We are really thrilled […]

Sonia Birla ’25 is one of 65 Americans selected to study and work in Germany as part of the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals program. She will depart for this one-year experience Friday, July 25, to return in June 2026. While in Germany, Birla will take a two-month intensive language course in Cologne, where […]

UNC Charlotte’s Honors College has announced that a University record five students have been nominated this year for the Marshall and Rhodes scholarships.  Charlotte nominees are seniors Sonia Birla, Mia Huffman, Ellie McCutchen, Sylvia Sriniwass and Olivia Stockwell.  “Congratulations to these five outstanding Niners for their selection as Rhodes and Marshall scholarship nominees,” said Andrew […]