ACE points are meant to incentivize students to be well-rounded in the areas of Academics, Community Service, and Engagement (ACE). Students must earn 100 ACE points per year in addition to maintaining a 3.5 GPA to remain active in Honors.
Honors tracks ACE points through sign-ins at events. Check for your monthly ACE points audit via email or write honors@ut.edu to get your current ACE points total.
Community service points can be earned by volunteering with the Honors Service subcommittee-sanctioned events or with PEACE. Other volunteer opportunities do not count for Honors ACE points. For volunteer hours to community points ratio, 1-2 hrs is 10 points; 3-4 hrs is 20 points; 5-6 is 30 points.
People who serve on PEACE alternative breaks earn points as follows: Weekend break: 50 service points; Week break national or international: 100 service points. We can offset travel fees through travel grants through honors.
Community service is not required but may be used to satisfy the “4 other activities of your choice” category, as outlined below.
Here’s how to earn your ace points across the year:
- Attend 2 Honors events.
- Attend 4 Honors symposia and/or watch a video & take a quiz.
- Participate in 4 other Honors activities of your choice.
Those 100 points involve students attending 4 symposia (10 points each x 4 = 40 points); 2 social events, either on- or off-campus as sponsored by Honors (10 points each x 2 = 20 points); and the 4 other events/opportunities are choose-your-own in any of academic, service, or engagement categories (10 points each x 4 = 40 points). You can earn these extra points any number of ways, from attending more symposia than required, giving a paper at a conference, receiving a research grant, volunteering for service with Honors or PEACE, or engaging in more on- or off-campus Honors events than required.
Students who receive 100 points in any given category are eligible to earn a badge in that category, which is a pin awarded at the Honors graduation ceremony that you can fasten to your Honors medallion.