Academic Excellence FAQs


The recipients of the Brown-Rudder and Gates-Muller awards are kept confidential until their announcement and presentation at the LAUNCH Recognition Ceremony in May, shortly before the May graduation ceremonies. The awards are also announced at the college graduation ceremonies of the recipients.

For the Brown-Rudder, a student must have earned a GPR in the top quarter of his/her college, have completed at least one-half of their degree requirements at TAMU, have displayed the personal traits of President Earl Rudder, be or have held positions of leadership in one or more major student organizations or in state/nationally recognized student organizations or social, church, or similar organizations, have an exemplary conduct record, have displayed a great love of TAMU and a willingness to uphold our principles, and have earned their baccalaureate degree by the end of the coming (May) spring semester or the previous two (December or August) graduation ceremonies.

For the Gates-Muller, a student must have earned a GPR in the top third of his/her college, have completed at least one-half of their degree requirements at TAMU, have displayed the personal traits of President Robert Gates, be or have held positions of leadership in one or more major student organizations or in state/nationally recognized student organizations or social, church, or similar organizations, have an exemplary conduct record, have displayed a great love of TAMU and a willingness to uphold our principles, NOT be a recipient of the Brown-Rudder Award, and have earned their baccalaureate degree by the end of the coming (May) spring semester or the previous two (December or August) graduation ceremonies.

Yes. The review process is designed to accommodate applicants who have significant experience and participation in fewer categories as well as those who have only shallow participation in all categories. Since the goal of the award is to acknowledge and reward excellence you may find that the review process will favor these applicants over those who appear to be a "jack of all trades and master of none."
No and no. You do not have to be a member of any campus honors program to submit an application and you do not have to join the University Honors program if you win. We do encourage all students at the university to challenge themselves and participating in an honors program can provide significant benefits to your academic endeavors.