Bonner Leaders Program

The UH Bonner Program offers developmental and educationally meaningful service opportunities for students and faculty. The program is a structured way for community members, staff, and students to work together to address economic, social and cultural challenges affecting the quality of life in the city of Houston and the state of Texas through education, research, and service. 

The Honors College is home to more than 150 Bonners, all of whom commit to contribute between five and ten hours each week to student-led anti-poverty service. Major recent projects include The Campus Kitchen at the University of Houston, which recovers unserved food from UH's dining halls and delivers it to those who need it, tutoring in math and reading for 6th and 7th graders at schools near campus, SAT prep and college transition help for underserved high-school students, and fostering access to health care through Honors In Community Health (HICH).

Bonners are recruited in their first year at UH and make a four-year commitment to the program. Most first-year Bonners live together in a designated neighborhood in Cougar Village I, and study together in Introduction to Civic Engagement. They also benefit from a formal mentoring program coordinated by the Bonner Student Leadership Council. Most Bonners also receive a small service-based scholarship in return for their contributions to the program and the community.  

The Bonner Program is housed in the Honors College, but is available to all students who qualify. For more information, contact: 

Andrew Hamilton, Associate Dean and Director of Bonner Program: [email protected] or 713.743.0654.

Use ApplyTexas or the Common App to apply. Submit just one application. The application is where you’ll indicate to be reviewed with or without ACT or SAT test scores. Be sure to complete the short admissions essay and tell us about your achievements and extracurricular activities. Pay the $90 Application Fee for international students ($75 for U.S. applicants) when you submit your online application.