Student Honors

Content

Program

Undergraduate
  1. Undergraduate paper competition – two awards for best medieval/early modern paper, one for “under 10 pages” and one for “10 pages and beyond”
  2. Creative project contest – format open
  3. Visual project contest – best sketch, engraving, or visual design

Please email or deliver projects to Nora Peterson (npeterson10@nebraska.edu) by midnight on April 13, 2026. Please include a blind copy (no names anywhere on the project) with an attached cover sheet that includes:

  1. Your name and email
  2. A 50-100 word summary of the paper or project
  3. Identify which prize you are submitting for
  4. Semester, name of the class and professor

Applications will be reviewed by a panel of Medieval/Renaissance studies faculty and will be announced at the awards ceremony on April 28.

Graduate

The annual Robert Knoll Award for the best graduate student essay was created through the generosity of Virginia Knoll, wife of Robert Knoll, fromer UNL Professor of English and Renaissance scholar. The program has continued the award in Robert Knoll's honor.

Please email or deliver projects to Nora Peterson (npeterson10@nebraska.edu) by midnight on April 13, 2026.

Submit a blind copy (no names on the paper) with an attached cover sheet that includes:

  1. The student’s name and email
  2. Why the paper was created (seminar research paper, dissertation chapter, conference paper)
  3. A 50-100 word summary of the paper, to be used in the end of year program if chosen for a prize.

For a graduate course, include:

  1. The name of the class [e.g. AHIS 821: The Italian Renaissance City]
  2. The professor [e.g. Dr. Andrea Bolland]
  3. Semester in which the paper was made.

College

Dean's List

Each semester, students' academic achievement is recognized with placement on the College of Arts and Sciences Dean's List.

Graduation with Distinction

In recognition of outstanding academic excellence, the College of Arts and Sciences recommends bachelor's degrees with three levels of distinction: Distinction, High Distinction, and Highest Distinction—the latter requiring a thesis.

University

University Honors Program

The University Honors Program gives undergraduate students in any major to make the most of their time at Nebraska by choosing experiences, classes, and work opportunities that allow them to live their passions.

  • includes small, interactive, and interdisciplinary seminars and a continuum of hands-on experiences
  • high school seniors and current students can apply

Optionally, any course can be contracted for Honors credit with the Honors program.

Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society

Members of the Alpha of Nebraska Chapter of the oldest and most respected honorary society in the United States are elected from candidates for degrees in the liberal arts and sciences who are in the top 5 to 10 percent of the graduating class.

National/International

Fellowships and Scholarships

Fellowships and scholarships from organizations outside of the university.