Honors & distinctions at Tippie
There are multiple recognitions and distinctions achievable by exceptional business students. These include two honors programs—University Honors and Honors in the Major, and academic distinctions such as Dean’s List, President’s List, Honor Societies, and Graduation with Distinction. Many of these hard-earned accomplishments are noted at graduation, on transcripts, and through honors celebrations or ceremonies.
Honors programs
Honors programs create opportunities for high-achieving students to be challenged and engaged. From access to honors courses to forming a community of exceptional scholars, being an honors student elevates your experience at Tippie and beyond.
As a Tippie student with a qualifying academic record, you are eligible for University Honors and Honors in the Major. These are two separate programs with different requirements. With careful planning, you can graduate with both. Each honor will appear separately in your transcript.
Academic distinctions
Dean's List
High-performing students are named to the dean’s list each semester based on their academic performance. You need a 3.5 GPA or higher on at least 12 semester hours of UI graded coursework with no hours of “I” (incomplete) or “0” (no grade reported). This list is reported in a university news release at the end of every semester.
President's List
The President’s List recognizes undergraduates who achieve a GPA of 4.0 on at least 12 semester hours of UI graded coursework and who have no “I” (incomplete) or “0” (no grade reported) marks on their records for two consecutive semesters. It is reported in a University of Iowa News release at the end of every semester.
Graduation with Distinction
The criteria for graduating with distinction is based on GPA. The three levels of distinction are:
- With highest distinction: 3.95 GPA or above (3 stars)
- With high distinction: 3.85–3.94 GPA (2 stars)
- With distinction: 3.75–3.84 GPA (1 star)
Stars are mailed to the address listed as your residing address. To be eligible for consideration, degree candidates must complete the final 60 semester hours in residence as an undergraduate at the University of Iowa, and at least 45 graded semester hours must have been completed before the final semester or session of registration. The grade-point average (GPA) used to determine distinction is cumulative GPA and overall cumulative GPA and includes all work undertaken before the beginning of the final semester or session. For more information on distraction, visit this page on the commencement website.
Honor societies
Top-performing students are eligible for membership in several honor societies, which offer benefits such as networking, scholarships, and more. Tippie Business Honor Society is the college’s own invitation-only honor society that serves as a community of honors and honors-eligible students at the college. Beta Gamma Sigma and Sigma Nu Tau are local chapters of nationally recognized honor societies. Each organization has its own membership requirements.