Complementary Learning
Complementary Learning
Complementary Learning is an integral part of the Honors experience at RIT that supports student participation in activities that complement traditional academic work.
There are three main categories of activity that are approved for complementary learning: service and volunteerism with a registered non-profit, leadership activity, and engaging in the intellectual and cultural life of the University. Activities that are academic in nature or are considered professional development are not approved for complementary learning. Check the Honors Handbook for more detailed information about what counts as complementary learning, how to report what you've done, and how many hours you need each year to maintain good standing in the program. Here are a few reminders to help you stay on track:
- The complementary learning cycle runs from Sept. 1 - Aug. 31 each year
- Complementary learning is an annual requirement that does not accumulate year over year (check your entry year handbook for specific information)
- The maximum number of hours you can submit for any one activity or for activities with a single organization is 15 hours
- Hours should be submitted contemporaneously, within a month of the activity
- Progress towards your annual requirement is checked after the cycle closes in August. If at that time you have not met the annual requirement you will be placed into conditional standing and will have one semester to make up any deficit from the previous cycle
Do you have complementary learning hours to submit? Record your activity here
Need help submitting your complementary learning?
Current and Ongoing Opportunities:
Please see below events and activities that are approved by the Honors Program office for Complementary Learning. This webpage is updated regularly to add new opportunities - but they are in no way the only activities you can take part in to earn complementary learning hours. Please reach out to the Honors office if you have any questions.
Black Heritage Month - Leveling Up: Navigating Games and Animation as a Creator of Color
Join the Division of Access, Engagement, and Success and MAGIC Spell Studios for an insightful panel featuring two student designers and an industry professional discussing their journeys as creators of color. guests will share how they infuse identity and culture into their work, tips for landing internships in a competitive field, and why diverse voices are essential in gaming and animation. Part of Black Heritage Month at RIT; all are welcome.
Learn more about the event here and go here to register
February 18, 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM
Student Alumni Union (SAU) 2510
Participation in the Intellectual and Cultural Life of RIT
PBJam
Join us at the PBJam event on Wednesday, March 4th in the SHED's Bower Maker Showcase to kick off the 2026 United Way Campaign! Help us reach our goal of making 1,000 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to support local agencies! You can register on Campus Groups or by emailing unitedway@rit.edu. There are three sessions available: 11AM-2PM, 12PM-1PM and 1PM-2PM.
2/27-28 & 3/01 WiCHacks
WiCHacks values diversity and inclusion as essential to our mission and welcomes anyone in support of moving this mission forward, including those of other genders or sex, to sign up for the hackathon. Hosted by Women in Computing (WiC) at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), the hackathon is a 24-hour, collaborative programming event in which participants create an app, website, game, or other piece of software throughout the event! It requires volunteers to help things run smoothly Food and free swag will be provided to our volunteers, and plenty of odd-hour shifts exist and can fit into student's schedules. We appreciate your time and consideration. Sign up to volunteer here.
The Big Night Out Gala by Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Rochester
We are in need of videographers to capture mentor/mentee stories (video), candid and program videos AND general photography throughout the night including a photo area. The event is from 5-11pm at Arbor Midtown. Click here for the details of the event. Training will be provided for any volunteers for about 20-30 minutes (virtual) between Feb 23. through March 3.
Contact Dmclaren@bbbsr.org | 585-410-0151 for more information and to express an interest in volunteering
March 6th, 5:00 PM - 11:00 PM
Arbor Midtown, 183 East Main Street, Rochester, NY 14604
Service and Volunteerism
Critical Thinking Conversations: Learning and Professional Identity in the age of AI
As AI becomes embedded in learning and professional practice, critical thinking is a durable strategy. This live Zoom conversation brings together Dr. Vic Perotti (RIT Saunders College of Business), Dr. Jennifer Schneider (RIT’s Eugene H. Fram Chair in Applied Critical Thinking), and Dr. Chris Collison (Professor of Chemistry and Director of the RIT AI Hub) to examine how reasoning, judgment, and professional identity evolve as machines generate knowledge at scale. Grounded in RIT’s Applied Critical Thinking (ACT) framework, AI research, and business practice, the moderated discussion will use concrete, accessible examples of AI in practice to explore how educators, professionals, and institutions must adapt, and where human thinking matters most. Click HERE to register.
The Viehe Lectures Series presents: Techno-stories from Space - My Photo Studio on Orbit
An evening with NASA Astronaut Don Pettit - 590 Days in Space – One Million Photographs: March 25, 2026, 6:00pm. Location: Ingle Auditorium. Join RIT alumnus John Viehe at RIT as he hosts NASA astronaut Don Pettit, NASA’s most senior astronaut. Pettit shares his personal experiences living in space through his stunning photography and storytelling, connecting engineering, art, and pure curiosity. On his most recent spaceflight, Pettit used an orbital sidereal tracker camera mount developed at RIT, capturing Earth and the cosmos in never-before-seen perspective. This event is for everyone interested in hearing first-hand from the renowned photographer, astronaut, scientist, and inventor who has spent 590 days aboard the International Space Station. Pettit’s work defines how creative thinking and technical skill come together in the real world, r eflecting RIT’s spirit of innovation across technology, art, and design. Q&A follows the presentation in RIT’s Ingle Auditorium. Open to the community. No registration required. The lecture will be recorded and captioned. The venue is accessible. For more information, click HERE.
4/11-12 | Relay For Life | Cancer Walk
More than just a fundraising walk, Relay For Life is a movement. For 40 years, passionate supporters have come together to advance the American Cancer Society’s vision: ending cancer as we know it, for everyone. Relay For Life celebrates survivors, honors caregivers, remembers loved ones lost, and raises funds to ensure that everyone has the chance to prevent, detect, treat, and survive cancer.
Take the chance to volunteer for the cause by clicking here
April 11-12, 6:00 PM - 6:00 AM
Gordon Field House
Service and Volunteerism
International Conversation Partner Program
In this program, students will be able to exchange culture and language through weekly sessions with their partners. Volunteers would need to meet with their partners once a week until the final two weeks of class. We hope your experience with your conversation partner will lead to good friendships and help you expand your global perspective! Sign up here.
Breaking Bread Program
The Breaking Bread program is facilitated By Dr. Taj Smith, Executive Director for Community and Education, Division of Access, Engagement, and Success. The program consists of opportunities to practice dialogue and connect with people. If you are interested in any of the events being hosted, feel free to sign up here. Registration is encouraged, but drop-ins are allowed for the special edition options. There are 3-week commitments and also one-time events that can be looked at under the Programs section on this webpage.
Honors Council
Honors Council
Attend an Honors Council meeting to learn more about getting involved in the Honors Program! Council meetings are a great way to meet and talk to your college's delegate, hear updates on Honors events, and provide feedback and suggestions for what you want to see. Honors Council dates and locations for the fall semester will be announced soon.
Attending Council meetings counts for 1/2 hour of complementary learning.
Category: Participation in the Intellectual and Cultural Life at RIT
Approved Virtual and Summer Volunteer Opportunities
Volunteer this summer by getting involved in your community - in person or virtually! There are many online organizations that run on volunteers. These include transcribing documents for the Smithsonian, captioning TEDTalks, and contributing to conservation efforts by tagging animals in photos.
A list of approved virtual opportunities can be found here.
A list of approved nonprofit organization volunteer opportunities can be found here.
If you find an opportunity not listed and would like it checked, send an email to honors@rit.edu to see if its eligible for comp learning.
Ongoing Volunteer Opportunities
Connect with Rochester! The CLCE has an ongoing list of local organizations looking for volunteers that can be found here. They have a variety of focuses to explore, including Food Justice, Housing, Community Development, Environment, Animal Welfare, Activism, Youth Development, Health and Wellness, and Parks and Recreation!
Check out our other opportunities below!
Testimonials
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“Throughout my experience with the American Cancer Society, I had the opportunity to learn about many different types of cancer, listen to the stories of many cancer survivors/fighters, educate others on cancer, and help bring awareness to the disease through a variety of activities. I had the opportunity to listen to many people's stories about how cancer affected them personally and relate to them and support them on an emotional level. I was able to help bring awareness to the disease by participating in many different fundraising events, and this opportunity helped me meet a new community of people who all shared the same interest. It taught me a lot about a relevant disease in our world currently and having the ability to come together with a group of people and participate in different events to raise awareness was very meaningful to me. I felt like this opportunity helped me feel welcomed in the RIT community, and I feel like I gained a lot from the social and intellectual aspects of my comp learning.”
-Mikayla Leibenguth CHST
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“It's really easy to get bogged down with the expectations you fail to meet for yourself. Then you start just focusing on all the things you can't do and you fail to realize all the things you can. This year's comp learning helped me to realize that there is nothing wrong with changing your goals and expectations if you need to because at the end of the day, any efforts are better than none.”
-Isaac Buswell COS
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“Complementary Learning helped me begin to find my place in the RIT and Rochester Area Community. As a first-year student, Complementary Learning helped me start exploring the Greater Rochester Area through the Into the ROC activities. I also learned more about the different organizations and opportunities on the RIT campus to help other students such as RIT Food Share. When I returned home on winter break, I was excited to get involved and connected with my community again through the FIRST Robotics Tournament”
-Rachael Tobey CET
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“Many of the hours I completed for complementary learning this year were focused on leadership for alpha Kappa Delta Phi and other organizations I am passionate about. This leadership position has taught me how to effectively voice my opinions and communicate effectively with other members of the organization, the International Leadership Board, and other organizations on campus. Additionally, it taught me how to organize weekly chapter/e-board meetings and lead workshops to fulfill our Risk Management requirement from International Leadership Board. This experience has given me the ability to separate my personal feelings in a professional environment, a skill necessary which was necessary for me to succeed in my internship/co-op that I took for summer 2022 and fall 2022.”
-Crystal Qu KGCOE
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"I've learned the importance of volunteers and those who donate their time, skills, and resources to the impoverished. Thanks to the help of volunteer lawyers, doctors, and even college students like me, we've helped keep these families afloat, whether it be through providing them with emergency food supplies, legal counsel they couldn't normally get, preventing shutoffs of their utilities, helping out with housing problems, and so much more. Even if it's just something little, the contributions of every volunteer matters."
-Albert Hynes GCCIS -
"I do not volunteer for the recognition. I volunteer because I care, I enjoy it and because I believe that it is a responsibility for all to partake in. A responsibility that entails giving back to others, giving back to those less fortunate, or to simply help others.”
-Zayneb Ghazle CHST