There is no application required for first-year admission; invitation is based on high school academic performance. There is also an opportunity to apply into the PLHC prior to your sophomore year. 

Invitation to the Patrick Leahy Honors College is based on high school academic performance; no additional application is required. Students will likely have taken the most challenging courses available at their high schools. That said, we look holistically at applicants, and many factors come into play as we look to build a balanced and diverse class.

You can learn more about scholarships at UVM here. 

The Patrick Leahy Honors College has opportunities for students to receive funding to participate in summer internships and research. Check out information about funding offered by the Fellowships, Opportunities, and Undergraduate Research (FOUR) office. 

The Patrick Leahy Honors College offers the scholarly benefits of a liberal arts college with the resources and opportunities of a public research university. The Honors experience provides a rigorous, multidisciplinary academic challenge that complements and enriches the entire undergraduate experience. PLHC students enjoy close academic mentoring and special opportunities for leadership, community participation, and academic achievement. 

PLHC students also have easy access to the Fellowships, Opportunities, and Undergraduate Research (FOUR) office, which is housed in the same residential complex as honors students. The FOUR office can help students get started in research, find funding for opportunities they are looking to pursue, or apply for fellowships. 

The Patrick Leahy Honors College is also a residential college, and so by joining this community you gain the opportunity to live with like-minded students. Many honors classes are held in the residence halls where honors students live; this proximity encourages a strong sense of community which continues when students move off campus.

Students are required to maintain a GPA of 3.40 or higher to remain in good academic standing. PLHC students with a cumulative GPA below 3.40 will be given one semester of enhanced academic advising to raise their GPA to a 3.40 (or higher); those who do not do so may be subject to dismissal from the college. Students may also face dismissal if they receive grades of C- (or below) in nine credits (or more) of coursework, commit offenses against the academic integrity code (as determined by standard university procedures), or fail to make satisfactory progress toward the completion of college requirements. Academic Standing Review involves taking personal or academic considerations into account prior to dismissal for any of the situations listed above.  

More information about remaining is good academic standing can be found here

First-year PLHC students take a series of two-courses, one in the fall (HCOL 1000) and one in the spring (HCOL 1500). Seminars during the fall semester engage with a wide variety of contemporary social and ecological challenges; all seminars share a focus on writing and information literacy.  The spring semester seminars build on skills and knowledge formed in the fall and introduce students to collaborative group work and public speaking.

Students take one three-credit seminar at the HCOL 2000 level for each semester of their sophomore year. While ranging from topics in the humanities to the STEM disciplines, these courses are primarily focused on giving students more experience with research. Course themes vary from year to year.

In the junior year, students take either course work either though their home school or college, or through the PLHC, that prepares them for their senior-year thesis project, the capstone of the Patrick Leahy Honors College curriculum. Seniors complete a six-credit research thesis or senior project approved by their home school or college. These senior-year requirements may also vary across the schools and colleges.

Almost all PLHC courses fulfill Catamount Core Curriculum requirements, and may fill requirements in the students home college as well. For example, all HCOL 1000 classes fulfill the WIL1 requirement, and many fulfill at least one other core requirement. 

For most students, completing PLHC requirements presents little or no difficulty. For students in highly prescribed majors, careful planning and advising is required, but it is possible for students in even the most structured majors to successfully complete PLHC requirements.

The Patrick Leahy Honors College is an additional commitment, so it is possible that it will limit your other activities. However, keep in mind that PLHC courses take up at most one course per semester. Moreover, the courses quite often count towards your degree requirements, that is, they substitute for courses you would have had to take and are not on top of your other requirements. So, the additional commitment in coursework is not what it might first seem.
Furthermore, consider how your PLHC requirements may be combined with your other activities instead of limiting them. For example, if you are pre-med in the College of Nursing and Health Sciences and an EMT and are wondering if writing a thesis conflicts with being an EMT, perhaps consider continuing as an EMT and using that experience as a basis for your thesis research. 
Generally, each student's case is distinct. We counsel students to consult with the Patrick Leahy Honors College Dean's office and the advising team to see how to plan to allow for PLHC requirements to complement your overall plan for coursework and activities.

No. Courses are an important component of the Honors experience; however, the Patrick Leahy Honors College is, above all, a community of scholars - students and faculty - committed to the ideals of intellectual growth and risk-taking. The pillars of the Patrick Leahy Honors College are leadership, service, research, inclusion, and wellbeing. These pillars are uplifted not only in the classroom, but by our team of advisors, in PLHC events, by the FOUR office, and during the residential experience. The experiences and relationships you cultivate through the Patrick Leahy Honors College can shape your values, perspectives, and aspirations for years to come. The skills and insights you gain from your peers and faculty may continue to influence you long after graduation.

[Students also live together for the first two years in the University Heights complex. This residential experience allows students to be in community with other Honors students who will support you and help you grow as a scholar and citizen of the world. The bonds you form during those two years will follow you during the rest of your time at UVM and beyond.]

Yes, each semester many PLHC students participate in the various study abroad options at UVM. Advance planning is important, including consulting with the Office of International Education, your major/faculty advisor, and your PLHC academic advisor. The junior year course requirement for the PLHC (coursework in the fall OR spring semester of the junior year) is designed specifically to not discourage or impede PLHC students from being able to study abroad.

The Patrick Leahy Honors College also offers two unique study abroad programs for students in the second semester of their sophomore year; one in the Netherlands and one in Scotland. 

Learn more about studying abroad as a PLHC student

Yes, if you complete all curricular requirements, you'll receive one of the highest distinctions at UVM--that of graduating as a Patrick Leahy Honors College Scholar. This distinction will be noted on your diploma and your final transcript. The Patrick Leahy Honors College Scholars Recognition Ceremony is held in Ira Allen Chapel the day before Commencement. Scholars receive the Patrick Leahy Honors College Medallion and are recognized individually at this yearly event.

Yes, it will. First, employers and graduate schools care about academic preparation. Not only does high academic achievement show that you understand the content of the courses you've taken but it also shows that you are able to perform at a distinguished level over four years of endeavor. In other words, by earning the title of Patrick Leahy Honors College Scholar you demonstrate persistence, consistency, and drive, all of which are valued after graduation. In addition, flourishing careers and successful graduate education are less structured than undergraduate curricula: they call for individuals who are good at knowing themselves and learning in new situations. The active style of learning championed in the Patrick Leahy Honors College - application and extension of knowledge in engaged settings such as undergraduate research, seminar discussion and thesis writing - prepares students to grapple with complexity, challenge and opportunity, where the way forward hasn't been set by someone else. Finally, by exploring an issue in depth in your thesis, you have work that can serve as the jumping-off point for graduate work or as the underpinning of a successful career.

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• Take advantage of the opportunities to meet with your PLHC Peer Mentor! Peer Mentors are upper class Honors students who want to help ease the transition from high school to college. A Peer Mentor is a good resource, a willing ear, and new friend who can help you in a variety of ways. 
• Connect with your advisor early and often. If you don't know who your advisor is, contact the staff in the PLHC offices who can help you.
• If you're an undeclared major or if you want to explore changing your major you can work with the PLHC advisors as well as with UVM's Career Center.
• Get involved with a club or activity during the first month of the semester.
• Seek out activities that will enhance your academic program: volunteering, undergraduate research, or internships.
• Get to know your resident advisor (RA).
• Attend a Patrick Leahy Honors College social - good food and good conversation.
• Stay physically active - find a hallmate who goes to the gym and join them for a run or workout.

If you are feeling homesick, alone, or overwhelmed, tell someone - your roommate, RA or Peer Mentor, a PLHC staffer, or a professor! You are not the only one experiencing these feelings and there are multiple resources available to help you work through them.

There are approximately 1,000 students in the Patrick Leahy Honors College.