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

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Explore Admission Criteria
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News and Events

Making every opportunity count: Ian Mattingly’s UK Invests story

By Lindsey Piercy

Oct 9, 2026

For Lewis Honors College freshman Ian Mattingly, investing isn’t just about today. It’s about building toward the future. Mattingly, of Versailles, Kentucky, came to the University of Kentucky with some experience saving and investing. But through UK Invests, he is gaining firsthand experience managing an investment account of his own and learning more about investment strategies he can carry with him long after college.

2026 Homecoming royalty crowned

By Hayden Gooding

Oct 8, 2026

Ali Kashif and Molly Bachman, both Lewis Honors College students, were crowned 2026 University of Kentucky Homecoming king and queen Wednesday night. 

UK Alumni Association to honor 2026 Lyman T. Johnson Award recipients at 35th annual luncheon

By Meredith Weber

Sep 29, 2026

The University of Kentucky Alumni Association’s Lyman T. Johnson Alumni Constituency Group will host the 35th annual Lyman T. Johnson Awards Luncheon 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9, in the Gatton Student Center Grand Ballroom. Awardees include five from the Lewis Honors College. https://uknow.uky.edu/student-news/uk-alumni-association-honor-2026-lyman-t-johnson-award-recipients-35th-annual-luncheon

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CPD Industry Crosswalk: Keeneland Visit

Oct 14, 9:00 am - Oct 14, 1:00 pm

Keeneland

4201 Versailles Road Lexington, Kentucky 40510

The Unique Role of Campaign Advertising in American Elections

Oct 15, 5:30 pm - Oct 15, 6:30 pm

Lewis Scholars Lounge

420 Hilltop Ave, Lexington, KY

Kentucky Honors Roundtable

Oct 16, 5:00 pm - Oct 17, 3:30 pm