The Honors College works in close partnership with the Department of Residential Life to provide a room selection process that fosters a vibrant scholarly community for Honors College students required to live on campus. More information about room selection for UVM students is available on the Department of Residential Life website.

All incoming first year Honors College students live in Honors College Housing in University Heights. The timeline for housing and learning community selection for the Class of 2026 is:

February 7-May 6: Access and review your housing and meal plan contract at housing.uvm.edu. Most Honors College students choose to live in Honors College housing; if this is your choice rank the Honors College first. If you are considering other community options you may rank them as you prefer on your contract. Explore Learning Community options.

Monday, May 23: Check your UVM email for your Learning Community placement.

Early August: Receive your room and roommate assignment.

Late August: Move in to your residence hall and attend Orientation.

Room styles in Honors Housing

First-year students who choose to live in University Heights will be assigned to one of the following room types: Private double (one room for two people; two beds two dressers, two desks, etc., and an attached bathroom); Private single; Suite double (two double rooms connected by a small common space and a shared bathroom); Private triple (one room for three people; three beds, three dressers, three desks, etc., and an attached bathroom); Suite triple (two triple rooms connected by a small common space and a shared bathroom); Suite single. Room rates are published by UVM ResLife at the following website:

https://www.uvm.edu/reslife/costs_and_fees

Incoming Honors College students transferring from other institutions who are under 20 the first day of classes are required to live on campus for two semesters and will be contacted by Residential Life to complete a housing and meal plan contract. Transfer students over 20 are not required to live on campus or guaranteed housing and must fill out a housing request form located in myResLife to indicate they want on-campus housing. Students who are eligible for on-campus housing can request to live in University Heights North, and will be placed on a space-available basis. For more information on housing for transfer students, e-mail honors.college@uvm.edu.

All Honors College students who live in Honors learning communities are subject to the good standing policies related to the Honors College academic and residential living/learning expectations. In order to qualify for the room selection process in an Honors learning community for an upcoming academic year, a student must:

• Be in good academic standing: Have a 3.2 GPA (or be working closely with Honors College advisors to obtain a 3.2 GPA by the end of the semester).
• Have not been found responsible by the Center for Student Conduct for university violations including, but not limited to, property offenses, and offenses against the student alcohol or other drug policies.

To retain a housing assignment in the Honors College, a continuing Honors College student must have remained in good standing following the completion of the spring semester. The Honors College reserves the right to remove students from Honors learning communities who are no longer Honors College students in good standing.

WE-HCOL: Program Mission

Academic wellness is a prerequisite to academic excellence at UVM. The WE-HCOL mission is to enable and empower talented students to achieve a deep understanding of and appreciation for how their potential as scholars and individuals is influenced by the choices they make both inside and outside the classroom. Through rigorous seminar style coursework focused on developing knowledge, and lectures dedicated to understanding physiological and psychological factors associated with optimal physical and cognitive functioning, the Honors College and WE provide first year Honors College students with an intellectually rigorous introduction to college, as well as a holistic academic wellness experience that prepares them for success both inside and outside of the classroom.

WE HCOL: Curricular Requirements

WE-HCOL students will take an Honors College Seminar (HCOL 085, 3 credits) and Healthy Brains, Healthy Bodies (COMU 001, 3 credits) during the fall semester.

HCOL 085 is a three-credit course taught in seminar-style format to classes of ~20 students. In the class, students explore a special topics course while working to fulfill UVM’s Foundational Writing and Information Literacy (FWIL) requirement.

Healthy Brains Healthy Bodies is a three-credit course that examines the effects the college experience has on the minds and bodies of individuals. Students enrolled in COMU 001 will investigate how their development is affected by their environment, the choices they make, and the relationships they build; using an understanding of the neuroscience of behavioral change students learn how to make the most of their college experience and make positive, long-lasting decisions regarding their personal health; and the basic physiological and psychological factors that are associated with optimal physical and cognitive functioning at every stage of life. 

Honors College students considering the WE-HCOL Dual Citizenship Program are strongly encouraged to discuss their learning community preferences with academic advisors in the Honors College as well as in their home college. Careful curricular planning for students in highly structured majors (including several fields in science, engineering, and education) is needed, and in some cases, students may need to closely examine their first-year course requirements and ensure that HCOL 085 and COMU 001 both fit their course schedule before signing up for the dual citizenship program.

WE HCOL Learning Community

WE-HCOL students will be members of the WE learning community in the Central Campus Residence Hall, and they participate in the academic life of both programs. Within the Wellness Environment, HCOL-WE students will:

• Live together as a community in the Wellness Environment with incentivized fitness, yoga, mindfulness, mentoring and nutrition benefits
• WE students receive free group fitness passes and gym memberships ($300 value), and have fitness center access in their residence hall.
• Daily access to yoga and mindfulness practice right in your residence hall.
• All WE students will be invited to join WEmentors, a unique partnership between the University of Vermont and the City of Burlington, where you will get to teach a young person a skill and share with them what you have learned about growing healthy brains and healthy bodies.
• Enjoy the peace of mind that you are sharing an environment free from the presence and distraction of alcohol and other drugs.
• Encouraged to attend WEventure! A new pre-orientation program for all first year WE students. You will learn about the science of behavior change, participate in daily activities around the 4 pillars of wellness (e.g., sunrise mindfulness, sunset yoga, fitness assessments, nutrition coaching), and have a blast!
• Monitor health goals with support from WE Mentors, coaches, and staff

WE HCOL: Program Rules and Requirements

WE-HCOL dual citizens will come into UVM registered for small seminars and rigorous, engaging coursework. They will also be living in the WE Residence Hall on central campus where they will have access to a gym, fitness trainers, a learning kitchen, nutritionists, a yoga studio, and mindfulness instructors. To be WE-HCOL citizens in good standing, the Honors College and WE requires the following of students:

• Participating students must participate in the academic life of both programs and register for an Honors College Seminar (HCOL 085) and Healthy Brains Healthy Bodies (COMU 001) during the fall semester.
• HCOL-WE Dual Citizens will abide by the living expectations of the WE community and commit to a residential environment that is free from the influence and presence of alcohol and/or drugs.

Sign up for WE-HCOL

• Incoming first year Honors students may choose to participate in WE-HCOL within the Wellness Environment. Admitted students can sign up for Honors learning communities by activating their NetID and following instructions at: https://www.uvm.edu/reslife/incoming_students (based on space availability).
• Students interested in participating in the WE-HCOL Dual Citizenship program should preference "Wellness Environment" as their first preferred learning community, and "Honors" as their second preferred learning community. (Space is limited in WE-HCOL, and this ensures that if there is more demand for the program than there is space available, students will still be placed in an Honors learning community)
• Students interested in living in Honors housing in University Heights North should preference Honors housing as their first preferred learning community.