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Honors and Opportunities

Honors

At Seventh, we provide many opportunities for talented and intellectually ambitious students to maximize their educational experience and distinguish themselves academically and professionally.

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Seventh College's First-Year Honors Seminar (SEV 20), offered in Winter and Spring Quarter, sponsors activities and events designed to introduce students to the pioneering research and innovative scholarship at UC San Diego and in the surrounding community.

A subset of students with Provost’s Honors (typically those in the top 15 percent of the first-year class) will receive an email invitation to apply for enrollment in SEV 20 from the Office of the Provost at the end of Fall Quarter for Winter enrollment and at the end of Winter Quarter for Spring enrollment.

For more information about the First-Year Honors Seminar (SEV 20) contact seventhprovost@ucsd.edu.

Provost’s Honors are awarded quarterly based upon the completion of twelve graded units with a GPA of 3.5 or higher with no grade of D, F, or NP recorded for the quarter.

The Academic Senate has established the following standards for award of college Honors at graduation:

  • No more than 14 percent of the graduating seniors on campus shall be eligible for college Honors 
  • Normally, no more than the top 2 percent shall be eligible for summa cum laude and no more than the next 4 percent for magna cum laude, although minor variations from year to year shall be permitted
  • The remaining 8 percent are eligible for cum laude

Eligibility is based upon the cumulative grade point average and completion of at least seventy-two units of coursework at the University of California. Refer to Latin Honors for GPA cut-offs.

Each department or program may award Honors at graduation. Check with your department or program for details.

Phi Beta Kappa, founded in 1776 at the College of William and Mary, is the most prestigious undergraduate honor society in the liberal arts and sciences in the United States.  

UC San Diego students are elected and invited to membership by the Sigma Chapter based on the excellence of their academic record, the breadth and quality of courses taken, and evidence that they have pursued a serious line of work and are of good character. Refer to the Phi Beta Kappa website for eligibility criteria and election procedures.

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Funding Opportunities 

Seventh College offers several financial opportunities to assist students in their academic development.

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The Triton Research & Experiential Learning Scholars (TRELS​) program is sponsored by the Council of Provosts of the Undergraduate Colleges at UC San Diego and the Undergraduate Research Hub. TRELS empowers students to pursue intellectual opportunities beyond the classroom by providing support in the form of funding and mentorship. This program is intended to expose students to experiential learning, including, but not limited to, research, guided artistic or creative projects, and public service opportunities, under the guidance of a UC San Diego faculty member. U.S. citizenship is not a requirement. There is a particular emphasis on serving students who may face obstacles in pursuing such opportunities. There are two main initiatives supported through TRELS:

  • TRELS Quarterly Awards
  • TRELS Summer Awards 

Students may receive a TRELS quarterly and/or summer award up to three times, but must reapply each time.

Apply Here!

Seventh College encourages students to present their research papers and other creative projects at educational and professional conferences. Seventh College students can apply for up to $250 to subsidize academic conference registration and/or travel expenses associated with attending conferences where students are presenting.

The award amount will depend upon the specifics of the conference for which the student is seeking funding and the overall availability of funds. Seventh College students from all majors are eligible to apply one time each academic year. U.S. citizenship is not a requirement. Applicants must secure a brief statement of support from a UC San Diego faculty sponsor who should mail the letter directly to seventhprovost@ucsd.edu. The Seventh College Provost’s Office will evaluate each request. 

Application Link [Closed for 2024-2025]

Applications must be submitted prior to the conference. Funding will be distributed as reimbursement; receipts must be submitted to the Seventh College Provost’s Office after the applicant attends the conference.

There are various scholarship opportunities available for students studying abroad: https://studyabroad.ucsd.edu/students/funding/scholarships.html

Seventh College students may apply for funding via the General Scholarship Portal through the Study Abroad Office.

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Individual Studies Major

The Seventh College Individual Studies major allows students to pursue a coherent course of study that is not formally recognized as a major at UC San Diego, but would otherwise meet all the standards established by the College and by the Academic Senate.

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  • Completion of at least one full-time quarter at UC San Diego
  • Good academic standing and a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA

  • A minimum of twelve 4-unit upper-division courses from two academic departments/programs (at least four courses from one department/program and at least eight courses from the other department/program) 
  • A minimum grade of C- for each course
  • A major grade point average of 2.0 or higher
  • At least nine of the twelve upper-division courses completed at UC San Diego
  • Note: Individual Studies Major Proposals that include courses offered by selective major departments/programs will not be approved without explicit support from the selective major department/program offering the courses.

  • Complete the Individual Studies Major Proposal
  • Attach a statement explaining the purpose of the proposed major, including the reasons why your educational goals cannot be met by an existing major or minor
  • Create a quarter by quarter plan including all proposed courses; consult department/program websites and advisors to determine when courses will be offered
  • Obtain signature and statement of support from a faculty advisor (must be a member of the Academic Senate) verifying that the proposed Individual Studies major is comparable in depth and quality to a traditional major at UC San Diego
  • Submit all materials to Seventh College Academic Advising at least three quarters prior to your projected term of graduation

The proposal must be approved by the Seventh College Executive Committee. Official notification of the committee’s decision will be sent via the Virtual Advising Center.

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