In April of 2002, the University of Arkansas received the largest gift in the history of American public higher education — a $300 million commitment from the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation.

The Honors College received more than one-third of this generous gift as an endowment to fund undergraduate Honors College fellowships and to provide support for study abroad and undergraduate research opportunities. The fellowships and grants help honors students finance their education, travel the globe and participate in ground-breaking research.

The University of Arkansas has a distinguished history of honors studies that dates back to 1954, when the honors program in the College of Arts and Sciences was established. In 1997 the Walton College of Business established its own honors program, focused on the needs of business students. Following the Walton gift, the Honors College partnered with faculty across campus to extend the honors experience to students in all disciplines, tailored to their specific majors.

Today the top students and most research-active professors from every college and major on campus participate, as a community of learners, in Honors College activities in the classroom, in laboratories and studios, and in sites around the world.