University Scholars

BUILDING BRIDGES TO YOUR FUTURE

The University Scholars major allows high-ability students to chart their personalized educational journey in close consultation with faculty advisers and mentors. The UNSC major fosters a love of interdisciplinary discourse in the Liberal Arts and Sciences that affirms the student’s unlimited potential in the rich academic and co-curricular offerings of Baylor University.

 

Why Choose University Scholars

University Scholars offers exceptional students the freedom to shape their own course of study within a rigorous liberal arts framework. Without traditional major or minor requirements, students design individualized curricula that reflect their intellectual passions, guided by close faculty mentorship and supported by the academic resources of Baylor’s Honors College.

A Curriculum You Help Create

Working one-on-one with advisors, University Scholars craft personalized plans of study that draw from the full range of Baylor’s offerings—from the sciences to the humanities—building an education that is both integrated and purposeful.

Driven by Curiosity

This program attracts students who are self-motivated and eager to explore questions that cross disciplinary lines. Admissions decisions are holistic, and Scholars are typically among Baylor’s most academically driven and engaged undergraduates.

Preparation for What Comes Next

Whether pursuing graduate study, medical or law school, ministry, business, or creative work, University Scholars are equipped with the habits of mind and heart that serve a lifetime of learning and leadership. Alumni have gone on to top programs at Columbia, Yale Divinity, UT Southwestern, and Notre Dame, supported by individualized concentrations and close mentorship.

I chose University Scholars because it gave me the flexibility to think creatively and build each semester around a theme I cared about, like social justice or international development,” Jarvis said. “Being able to approach a single topic from multiple disciplines helped me think more holistically about the world’s most pressing challenges.

Lauren Jarvis
Lauren Jarvis
University Scholar Alumna

University Scholars News

May 8, 2026
Baylor Students Selected for Fulbright Awards, Rotary Global Grants

Baylor University students and recent graduates continue to be awarded the most prestigious scholarships and fellowships at the national and international levels – winning Fulbright U.S. Student Grants and Rotary Global Grants.

Apr. 24, 2026
Honors College Graduates Recognized with F. Ray Wilson Thesis Award

Honors College graduates Ashleigh Jarrous, Isabel Kau, and Kristen Nakamura, were recently named the 2025 recipients of the F. Ray Wilson Award for Best Thesis, a recognition that celebrates excellence in the scholarship of undergraduate thesis writers in Baylor’s Honors Program.

Mar. 17, 2026
Baylor Junior Contributes to Published Study Aimed at Improving Heart Transplant Outcomes

University Scholar Abhinav Rajkumar joins researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Heart Institute for life-saving medical research

Aug. 29, 2025
Baylor's Honors College: A Place for Every Student

Far from a one-size-fits-all approach, Baylor’s Honors College offers five appealing academic opportunities that elevate undergraduate education, each in its own way. Inspiring, interdisciplinary curricula help students explore, with breadth and depth, the most important questions, urgent issues, and powerful insights that arise within and across specialized disciplines. The Honors College enables students to realize their unique possibilities in an academic community that is both inviting and fulfilling.