In recognition of high academic achievement, the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education grants scholarly honors each term to students in the Program in Exploratory Studies. Students achieving a grade point average of 3.600 or higher in any given term are recognized by a letter from the Vice Provost and receive a notation on their transcript. Honors are based on at least 12 credit hours of coursework completed for a letter grade at CU Boulder.

Once in a degree-granting program, exploratory studies students are encouraged to pursue honors that are recognized by each college at commencement.