Opportunities and Giving

Arts & Sciences Honors Program Scholarships

In addition to merit-based scholarships for incoming freshmen, the Honors Program is currently offering one scholarship for continuing Honors Program students:

Diamond Stecher Family Endowed Scholarship

The Diamond Stecher Family Endowed Scholarship is awarded to students in the Honors Program in the College of Arts and Sciences. The scholarship is awarded to one student for the current academic year and is split equally between the fall and spring ($1,000 in the fall and $1,000 in the spring). Students must have an honors thesis in progress, must be planning to defend their thesis in Fall 2024 or Spring 2025, and must be planning to graduate in Spring 2025 or later.

Applications for the 2024-2025 academic year will open on Thursday, September 19th and close at 11:59pm on Monday, September 30th.

You must submit a prospectus, preliminary bibliography, timeline, and completed application cover page by the scholarship application deadline, but you must also complete the online honors thesis registration process for by the October 1st deadline (for those defending in Spring 2025) to graduate with Honors. For more information on the registration process for graduating with Honors, please visit our Honors Thesis page.

Eligibility Criteria:

  • Must have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher.
  • Must have an honors thesis currently in progress.
  • Must submit a prospectus, preliminary bibliography, and timeline, combined into a single PDF, by the scholarship application deadline. Please be sure to include your name and student ID on the document.
  • Must also submit the thesis registration packet to the Honors Program by the thesis submission deadline.
  • Must be planning to defend your thesis in Fall 2024 or Spring 2025.
  • Must have completed, or be in the process of completing, one Honors Program course (Honors Program courses are designated by section numbers between 880-889R).
  • Must be planning to graduate in Spring 2025 or later.

Application Process:

  1. Complete the scholarship application via the Buff Portal using the instructions below, which includes the general scholarship application. If you've already completed the general scholarship application, you will have a few additional steps to follow to apply for Diamond Stecher.
  2. Submit your thesis registration packet by completing the online registration form, including uploading your prospectus, preliminary bibliography, and timeline by the registration deadline. The registration deadline for a Fall 2024 defense was April 30, 2024 and the deadline for a Spring 2025 defense is October 1, 2024. Learn how to register your thesis with the Honors Program Office.

How to apply for the scholarship:

  1. Visit Buff Portal ()
  2. Click the 'Scholarships' card, found within the Finances card group within the main menu
  3. Click the ‘Apply for & Manage Scholarships'. A new tab will open the CU Boulder Scholarship Application
  4. Complete the general application questions and essay, and click ‘Submit’
  5. Click ‘Start Applying’, and a list of scholarships will appear
    •  If you do not see the Diamond Stecher scholarship listed, you can search for it in the search field.
  6.  Click ‘Apply’ next to the scholarship name to complete the application and supplemental question.
  7.  You can click on ‘My Applications’ in the menu bar to view the status of your applications.

To see a more detailed step-by-step guide, please click here

Giving to the Honors Program

The College of Arts and Sciences Honors Program provides a wide variety of opportunities for academically motivated undergraduate students to connect with exceptional faculty and peers. These opportunities include taking Honors Program courses, graduating with Latin honors through the writing and defense of an honors thesis and the possibility of having their work published in our highly respected Honors Journal. Gifts to these funds help us to maintain and build Honors Program opportunities for CU Boulder undergraduate students and to fund activities that enhance our community of student scholars.

Norlin Library, home of the Honors Program.

  • The Van Gerven First Generation Merit Scholarship in the Honors Program (CU Fund #0123612): Named for Claudia and Dennis Van Gerven in recognition of their longstanding support for the Honors Program, this scholarship aids in the recruitment of first-generation students from Colorado who are of high academic promise and who intend to participate in the College of Arts and Sciences Honors Program.
  • Honors Program Fund (CU Fund #0121018): This fund will provide merit-based scholarships for undergraduate students in the College of Arts and Sciences Honors Program at the University of Colorado Boulder. 
  • Honors Journal Undergraduate Publication Fund (CU Fund #0123453): This fund supports the student-run , an interdisciplinary publication showcasing the best creative and scholarly work CU Boulder’s undergraduates have to offer. Expenses paid with this fund include the printing of the journal as well as advertising and circulation.
  • Honors Program Endowed Fund (CU Fund #0151213): This fund will provide merit-based scholarships for undergraduate students in the College of Arts and Sciences Honors Program at the University of Colorado Boulder.
  • Arts & Sciences Honors Program Fund (CU Fund #0060156): This fund provides support for the general operations of the Arts & Sciences Honors Program in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder campus.  Funds are used in a variety of ways to support the program and its students, including but not limited to supporting the certificate and thesis process; and offering special trainings, instructional courses, events, guest speakers, etc.