Honors and Leadership Studies

University Honors and Leadership Program

The University Honors and Leadership Program (UHL) provides students with unique learning experiences, scholarship support, and a sense of community unlike anything else at the university. Students who come from myriad majors complete coursework together in small, discussion-based seminars taught by exceptional faculty. UHL courses have an interdisciplinary focus and explore a range of interesting topics. With a focus on developing skills to analyze, understand, and solve complex social problems from multiple perspectives, UHL students learn to be leaders through discussion-based classes, personal goal-setting, and community engagement.

Students early in their college career and without the CU Denver Core completed will be on the Four-Year Track, completing 24-27 credit hours together, which fulfills the majority of the CU Denver Core requirements (you will still need math and lab science) and a minor in Honors and Leadership Studies upon graduation.

Students who enter UHL with the CU Denver Core completed, will be in the Two-Year Track, and will complete 15 credit hours, earning a minor in Honors and Leadership Studies upon graduation.

Are you a student who...

Benefits from learning from other students?

Loves discussion-based classes?

Embraces opportunities to have ideas challenged?

Wants to be part of a hard-working student community?

Then UHL may be for you.

Program Details

Discover UHL

We stimulate intellectual curiosity and foster close relationships with fellow students and professors through small class size and a cohort model. All of our students receive a base scholarship and may apply for additional scholarships. They also have exclusive access to the UHL house which is the hub for our activities.

Applying

Fall 2024 Applications are closed. Fall 2025 Applications will open in January.

To be considered for the University Honors and Leadership Program (UHL), you must either be an incoming first-year student with a 3.4 GPA or a transfer/upper division student with a 3.25 GPA and will attend the University of Colorado Denver as as full-time undergraduate.

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UHL Program

Access to the UHL house with workspace, computers, printer, copier, meeting room, and UHL staff and faculty
Dedicated Advising and peer mentoring
Innovative curriculum with a wide range of multidisciplinary courses taught by leading faculty
UHL scholarship support
Membership in a cohort-based community that provides intellectual and social opportunities from the moment you arrive on campus
Opportunity to participate in state, regional, and national honors and leadership conferences

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

The University Honors and Leadership (UHL) program is CU Denver's university-wide undergraduate honors program, offering both a traditional academic honors curriculum and an honors program in leadership studies.

The UHL program offers exceptional, highly motivated students many of the benefits of a small liberal arts college along with the opportunities available at a major research university.

The UHL program is fully compatible with every major. This means that while pursuing your degree, you will also take courses for your UHL minor.

Four-Year Track:
For first-time freshmen the program is 3 or 4 years depending on your plan. The UHL minor will cover all CU Denver Core EXCEPT English (ENGL 1020), a math class, and a laboratory science course.

Two-Year Track:
For students who enter UHL with CU Denver Core the program is 2 years.

Yes, the Four-Year Track satisfies 27 credits of the required CU Core Curriculum (34-40 credit hours) and it doesn't add to the hours required for graduation from CU Denver. The Two-Year Track does add 15 credits to your program of study and you will exit with a minor in Honors and Leadership Studies.

Students admitted to the UHL program receive a base scholarship of $1250 each fall and spring semester, distributed over four years for Four-Year Track and over two years for Two-Year Track. UHL students may apply for additional UHL and university scholarships.

In addition to this financial support, UHL students have the opportunity to be part of a close-knit cohort, learn from leading faculty, participate in leadership development activities, build your resume with community volunteering, and apply to unique study abroad programs.

UHL students also have the use of the UHL House, a restored Victorian building on the Ninth Street Park of the Auraria Campus.