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

Lewis Honors College Released Honors Admission Decisions

Feb 17, 2026

The Lewis Honors College released its admission decisions to applicants on February 17. This year, the Lewis Honors College received a record-breaking number of more than 7,000 applications, making the selection process more competitive than at any other time in the history of the College. All applicants were carefully reviewed holistically by the Honors selection committee of academic professionals based on the following criteria:

UK freshman Luke Griesser is among the world’s fastest speedcubers

From Georgetown to UK, freshman speedcuber turns puzzle-solving into real-world experience

By Erin Wickey

Feb 24, 2026

Long before he arrived on campus, Georgetown native Luke Griesser was drawn to magic and the mystery behind it. That same curiosity led him to the Rubik’s Cube. Today, the 19-year-old freshman in the Gatton College of Business and Economics at the University of Kentucky is among the world’s fastest speedcubers. He is already translating that passion into coaching and business experience.