At UDST there are many opportunities for students to receive academic awards based on their academic achievement. Many of these are presented at our annual Academic Awards Ceremony which is held in the Fall semester for recipients from the previous academic year. Others are presented in conjunction with our Graduation and Graduates of Excellence Ceremonies.
Eligible students are selected for the below awards based on the outlined criteria without prior application.
Academic Awards the University offers are:
Graduation Awards:
- No application is required for the above outlined Academic Awards. Eligible students will be automatically selected/nominated based on each outlined award criteria.
- No award will be given to a candidate who holds an award of equal or greater value unless specifically required by the terms of the award. Certain conditions apply.
- There are different eligibility criteria for awarding academic awards. Full information about the eligibility criteria for each academic award is available in the Academic Catalog.
Academic Awards FAQs
The Academic Awards Ceremony is usually held in the Fall semester in the month of November. The official date for the ceremony will be announced on campus.
Awards administered by the University are decided upon the recommendations of the Awards Committee.
Most awards are awarded based on a calculated weighted average, while some are awarded based on nomination. Unless otherwise stated, applications are not required in order to be considered for academic awards. If an application is required, it will be communicated to students, and application forms will be available at the Admissions & Registration Directorate.
To be eligible for most academic awards, a student must be currently enrolled in a recognized University program and have completed at least two semesters (excluding Spring/Summer) in the previous academic year as a full-time student. Returning graduates are only eligible if they are currently enrolled and have completed at least two semesters (excluding Spring/Summer) in the previous academic year as a full-time student in the same program.
There are different eligibility criteria for each award. Full information about the eligibility criteria for each academic award is available in the Academic Catalog.
No application is required for academic awards as eligible students will be automatically selected/nominated based on each outlined award criteria.
Students are selected based on the outlined criteria; however, there are limited quantities for each award. Successful students will be notified once they have been selected as an award recipient.
No award will be given to a candidate who holds an award of equal or greater value, unless specifically required by the terms of the award. Certain conditions apply.
For awards based on weighted average, a minimum of 80% weighted average applies.
A student’s weighted average can be defined as the sum of a course grade multiplied by the course value (credit), divided by the sum of the course values (all credits).
For academic awards presented in the Fall semester during the annual Academic Awards Ceremony, only the courses from the previous academic year will be included in the weighted average calculation.
Academic awards administered by the University will be recorded on the recipient’s academic transcript.
There are two awards presented at the Graduates of Excellence Ceremony:
- President's Award for Academic Excellence: Awarded to one graduate from each program who has the highest weighted average. Please note this award is not based on GPA.
- Graduates with Highest Honors: For graduates with a cumulative GPA of 4.00.
Eligible students will receive an email invitation to attend the Ceremony.
Only two categories of awards are presented at the Graduates of Excellence Ceremony:
- President's Award for Academic Excellence: Awarded to one graduate from each program who has the highest weighted average. Please note this award is not based on GPA.
- Graduates with Highest Honors: For graduates with a cumulative GPA of 4.00.
Eligible students will receive an email invitation to attend the Ceremony.