Lewis Honors College

By the Numbers

100% Experiential Education Participation

96% First-Year Retention Rate

90% Employment or Graduate/Professional School

Mission in Action

Explore Your Purpose

Honors advisors and the Center for Personal Development counselors partner with students in their exploration of purpose to cultivate well-being, leadership, and career readiness.

Savannah King with her Honors Thesis Showcase poster

Honors at Kentucky has a long and proud history, dating back to 1959, and thousands of students have passed through our program, exploring themselves and the boundaries of thought with outstanding faculty.

Jacqueline Coleman, Christian Brady, Laura Bryan, Conner Brumley

Lead With Integrity

Providing leadership development opportunities enables students to fulfill their experiential credit while bolstering lifelong skills to apply as a graduate student or employee.

The Honors classes I took my freshman year exposed me to ideas that I would not have otherwise thought deeply about. The topics we discussed have allowed me to engage with current events and the social sciences more than I would have been able to otherwise.

Asa O'Neal '25

NSF Graduate Research Fellow, Barry M. Goldwater Scholar, Astronaut Scholar

Maddie Duff waving with other graduating students walking

Why Honors?

Honors Residential Experience

Tamika Tompoulidis with student during EXPO

Center for Personal Development

Internship, Research, Education Abroad, Service-Learning Opportunities

Dr. Kenton Sena with HON 152 students outdoors

Dedicated Honors Faculty

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News and Events

UK’s Phi Beta Kappa chapter inducted 49 new members in 2025-26. The chapter inducted 12 members in December and 37 members March 24.

UK’s Phi Beta Kappa chapter inducts 49 new members

By Adrienne Clarke

Mar 27, 2026

The University of Kentucky’s Phi Beta Kappa chapter inducted 37 new members into the prestigious academic honor society March 24, and 12 new members in December 2025. This year’s induction ceremony in the Lewis Honors College Scholars Lounge featured a keynote address from Ana Franco-Watkins, Ph.D., dean of UK’s College of Arts and Sciences.

Introducing the newest cohort of Gaines Fellows as they begin their fellowship journey.

12 UK students named Gaines Fellows amid record number of applicants

By Ryan Girves

Mar 27, 2026

Twelve University of Kentucky students have been selected as the newest Gaines Fellows, representing nine colleges across campus and marking a record number of applications for the highly competitive program.

“Black Que(e)ries: Bridging Communities through Poetic Origins from Black Archives” will be presented Thursday, April 9.

UK senior Beaux Hardin to deliver 31st annual Breathitt Lecture

By Ryan Girves

Mar 25, 2026

Beaux Hardin, a University of Kentucky senior in the College of Arts and Sciences, Lewis Honors College student and Gaines Fellow, has been selected to give the 31st annual Edward T. Breathitt Undergraduate Lectureship in the Humanities. Hardin’s lecture will explore poetry as a creative medium that invents new language, connecting people across cultures and creating an immaterial space that redefines identity.

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Mathews Garden Work Days

Mar 30, 3:00 pm - Mar 30, 4:15 pm

Mathews Garden

Washington Ave, Lexington, KY 40508

Ideas That Matter: Comics and Social Commentary

Mar 30, 5:00 pm - Mar 30, 6:00 pm

Lewis Scholars Lounge

420 Hilltop Ave, Lexington, KY

"River Cowboys" Film Screening and Discussion

Apr 07, 4:30 pm - Apr 07, 5:30 pm