Lewis Honors College

Plan Your Visit High School Seniors: Apply by December 1

By the Numbers

100% Experiential Education Participation

97.2% First-Year Retention Rate

93.4% 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.

Singletary Scholar speaking at the Leadership Conference

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

Honors students wearing Honors medallions at the Honors Medal Ceremony

Why Honors?

Honors Residential Experience

Tamika Tompoulidis with student during EXPO

Center for Personal Development

Internship, Research, Education Abroad, Service-Learning Opportunities

Dr. Ryan Voogt with Honors students in HON 310

Dedicated Honors Faculty

Take a Virtual Tour
Schedule Your Visit
Explore Admission Criteria
Apply for Housing
Register for Orientation

News and Events

Feed the blood supply: Donate during Big Blue Crush Nov. 16-20

By Eric Lindsey

Nov 13, 2026

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 13, 2026) — Kentucky fans know the key to winning on the football field is to feed the studs. To feed the blood supply and save local lives, donors need to step up and give blood during Big Blue Crush, Kentucky Blood Center’s (KBC) competition against rival Tennessee to collect the most blood. Stop by the Lewis Honors College Scholars Lounge on November 19 and 20 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

From UK Gatton College to the Super Bowl: How Harrison Swinney built a career in the business of entertainment

Nov 13, 2026

Global Scholars Honors Pathway alum Harrison Swinney '13 is the chief financial officer of Medium Rare, a live entertainment company that partners with athletes, artists and major brands to produce festivals and events across the country. Read more about his career!

Worth unearthed: How the Groppos meld mining and history

By Kevin Puckett

Nov 10, 2026

Long before Jack Groppo, Ph.D., a mining engineer, and his daughter, Martha Groppo, Ph.D., a historian from the Honors program, shared a classroom, they shared a philosophy around the family dinner table. That philosophy was to “unearth worth” — to ask big questions, stay curious and find value in connections, even when it isn’t obvious.

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CPD MCAT Prep Tips

Nov 16, 4:30 pm - Nov 16, 5:30 pm

Lewis Hall Room U136

420 Hilltop Ave

KY Blood Center Drive

Nov 19, 10:00 am - Nov 20, 5:00 pm

Lewis Scholars Lounge

420 Hilltop Ave, Lexington, KY

Breakfast with Buss!

Nov 30, 9:30 am - Nov 30, 11:00 am

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