You’ll also learn about additional academic honors and achievements you can earn in high school and college. This is usually given to students who are in the top 1% of the class and is not presented often as it is a very difficult score to achieve. Although the criteria depends from one school to another, it is usually reserved for students with a perfect 4.0 GPA score, and in some cases even more. Please note that the graduation honor designations depend on the GPA of each school or college and that the cut-off points are determined on a yearly basis.

Each of the three honors lets people know that you are a high-achieving student. They’re typically determined based on your grade point average, but there is no official, set rule or parameter that determines which category you’ll fall under. Professional degrees lasting longer than the standard 3 years such as the 5 year Bachelor of Pharmacy are awarded egregia cum laude. Postgraduate diplomas and master’s degrees may be awarded as pass with distinction (summa cum laude), pass with merit (magna cum laude), or pass (bene probatus). Summa cum laude translates to “with highest honor” and is generally given to students in the top 1-5% of the class.

What is the Average GPA?

The cumulative GPA determines the designation, as shown in the table below. Going above and beyond might be the standard at the school you attend. While you’d think a perfect 4.0 would earn you the highest Latin honor, a summa cum laude, that’s not always the case. Some schools require their highest students to do more and have a higher GPA.

However, requirements differ from one school to another, which is decided by how popular or prestigious the high school is, and which universities students will proceed to go on to. At least 60 semester hours were accounted for at Baylor University, and the cumulative grade point average was at least 3.7. Some use an absolute GPA threshold (for example above 3.5 or 3.7), while others take a segment of the best students (such as the top 5% of all students, ranked by GPA). Most colleges that offer Latin (or other) honors post information about their criteria on their websites, frequently in a section devoted to graduation or commencement policies. Career success ends up being more about being able to work well with others, form meaningful relationships, and create value.

Academic Recognition & Honor Cords

The guidelines to achieve the magna cum laude level of distinction vary from one institution to another. Each college or university sets their own criteria for students to meet in order to obtain this level of achievement. Other requirements could include the submission of an honors thesis for evaluation or being part of an honors program. Instead of attempting to fix the rank of every individual student by minute divisions on a scale of a hundred as formerly, five grades of scholarship were established magna cumme laude gpa and degrees were conferred upon the graduating classes according to their grades. If a student was found to be in the first or lowest grade, he was not considered as a candidate for a degree, though he might receive a certificate stating the facts in regard to his standing; if he appeared in the second grade the degree of A.B. Was conferred upon him rite; if in the third, cum laude; if in the fourth, magna cum laude; while if he reached the fifth grade he received the degree summa cum laude.

Magna cum laude honors are awarded to eligible students at graduation, and the distinction is noted on the student’s diploma and official transcripts. To graduate with magna cum laude honors, students must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale. This is a higher GPA requirement than summa cum laude or cum laude honors. As a result of all of these factors, colleges and universities can vary widely in how many such honors they bestow on their graduates each year and how difficult or easy it is to obtain them.

What Criteria or Guidelines Qualify Someone for Magna Cum Laude?

While both honors are impressive, summa cum laude is a student’s highest achievement level. Cum laude is an academic distinction awarded to college students who have completed their degree with a high level of achievement. To be eligible cum laude, students must typically complete their degree with a GPA of 3.5 or higher. Latin honors are often given out to college students earning their bachelor’s degrees.

• Magna cum laude is the #2 honor of distinction, following immediately after the Summa Cum Laude.
• A 2011 editorial in Harvard University’s student newspaper, the Crimson, called for their abolition at the school.
• Latin honors are conferred at many colleges and universities in the United States and other parts of the world.
• After that, experience and work accomplishments play a much larger role, as well as references from past supervisors and colleagues.

Malta shows the Latin honors on the degree certificates, but the UK model is shown on the transcript. Cum laude is Latin for “with honor” (literally “with praise”) and serves as a way to distinguish students with exemplary academic success. Schools confer honors in a variety of ways and there is no standardized set of criteria. In addition to the numerical requirements, some colleges have other criteria, such as faculty recommendations or a requirement that students complete a certain number of advanced courses and/or write an honors thesis. Usually, the main difference between these levels of educational achievement is your GPA.

How Schools Decide on summa cum laude Requirements

The College and schools award Latin honors according to overall grade-point average (GPA) at graduation. Eligible students must have completed at least 90 (98 for the School of Nursing) University of California units for a letter grade. The levels of honors are summa cum laude, magna cum laude, and cum laude. There are many different ways that colleges and universities can calculate the GPA required for cum laude honors. For example, some schools use a weighting system that gives more points for grades in difficult classes, while others consider the overall grade point average.

• The precise criteria for this honor vary from school to school, but generally, students must have a GPA in the top 10-20% of their class and have earned exemplary grades in their coursework.
• If earning one of these designations is important to you, and you want to put summa or magna cum laude on your resume, it’s a good idea to chat with a school guidance counselor or your academic advisor early in your college career.
• This is a higher GPA than is required for Magna Cum Laude or Cum Laude graduation.
• All designations of graduation with academic recognition are indicated on the diploma and the ASU transcript.