Academic Recognition
Academic Honors List
Academic Honors Lists are compiled each fall and spring semester to recognize undergraduate students for superior academic performance.
Student in University College's adult undergraduate program earning at least a 3.75 grade point average (on a 4.00 scale) while completing a minimum 6 credit hours of graded work (pass/fail courses are not included) and who had no Incompletes in credit-bearing courses are eligible for consideration.
Phi Kappa Phi
Phi Kappa Phi, a national honor society founded in 1897, is the oldest and largest honor society recognizing and encouraging superior scholarship in all academic disciplines. The Nebraska Wesleyan chapter, established in 1914, is the eleventh oldest in the nation. There are currently more than 275 chapters in the United States and throughout the world.
Admission to Phi Kappa Phi is by invitation only and requires nomination and approval by the local chapter in accordance with the bylaws of the chapter and the national society. To be considered for election, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences seniors must be in the top 10% of their class; juniors must be in the top 7.5% of their class.
Each year the national society awards 50 fellowships to support the first year of graduate study.
Alpha Sigma Lambda
Alpha Sigma Lambda, a national Honor Society for students in continuing education, was founded in 1945 at Northwestern University. The Iota Rho chapter at Nebraska Wesleyan was chartered in 1995, joining more than 200 other chapters throughout the United States. Admission to Alpha Sigma Lambda is by invitation only and requires approval of the local chapter in accordance with the bylaws of the national society. Potential inductees must be matriculated and have a minimum of 30 graded semester hours at Nebraska Wesleyan in a degree program. Inductees selected must have a minimum grade point average of 3.20 and rank in the top 10% of the class.
Departmental Honoraries
Students who excel in individual disciplines or academic divisions may be invited to join the following honoraries: Delta Mu Delta (business), Lambda Pi Eta (communication), Pi Alpha (social work), Sigma Theta Tau (nursing).
Gold Key/Silver Key Awards
The Phi Kappa Phi awards are presented each year to at least two graduating seniors. The Gold Key is awarded to the undergraduate student(s) with the highest cumulative grade point average in the class, and the Silver Key is awarded to the undergraduate student(s) with the second highest cumulative average. Students are eligible for the Gold and Silver Keys only if they meet the requirements for graduation with honors at the time of the graduation ceremony.
Graduation with Honors
Students whose cumulative grade point average (GPA) upon the completion of their baccalaureate degree requirements is a 3.80 or above may graduate with honors.
Transfer students who complete at least 64 credit hours at Nebraska Wesleyan University are eligible for graduation with honors. Students who complete fewer than 64 credit hours from the University, however, are eligible for graduation with honors only if they have completed at least 45 credit hours at the University and have earned at least a combined cumulative 3.50 GPA from all regionally-accredited institutions previously attended.
To receive “Highest Distinction” a student must have a cumulative GPA of 3.93 or above. To receive “High Distinction” a student must have a cumulative GPA between 3.86 and 3.92. To graduate with “Distinction” a student must have a cumulative GPA between 3.80 and 3.85. The grade point average is calculated at the time all degree requirements are completed.
Students who have completed all baccalaureate degree requirements at the time of the graduation ceremony will have their achievement announced at Commencement. All students completing their baccalaureate degree requirements after the graduation ceremony, but before September 1 of that year, may receive graduation with honors, although it will not be publicly announced. Any exceptions must be appealed to the Academic Standards Committee.
National and International Awards
Nebraska Wesleyan students are encouraged to enter the competitions for national and international awards, such as the Marshall Scholarship, Fulbright Grants, the Rhodes Scholarship, Goldwater Scholarship, Scholarships of the National Security Education Program, James Madison Fellowships, the Andrew W. Mellon Fellowships in Humanistic Studies, Rotary Scholarships, the Harry S. Truman Scholarship, the Udall Scholarship, and the Gates Cambridge Scholarship.
Information for those and other special opportunities may be obtained from the Coordinator for National and International Prestige Scholarships or the Academic Affairs Office.