- Written By: S.E. Smith
- Edited By: Bronwyn Harris
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Copyright Protected:
2003-2012 Conjecture Corporation
Cum laude is a Latin term used to indicate a high level of academic distinction at the time of graduation. Along with other academic honors, it is used all over the world and no standard system governs how it is used; schools decide how to award honors on an individual basis. Typically, to graduate cum laude, a student must maintain excellent grades, complete a supplemental honors thesis, and participate in honors courses. In some nations, students who wish to achieve a cum laude designation on their diplomas must also complete a series of special exams.
When a student graduates cum laude, this is written on his or her diploma. Generally, students also indicate their cum laude status in applications to other schools and on an employment resume, since it suggests a high level of achievement. In the United States, undergraduates and graduate students are eligible to graduate with this honor, while in other nations, undergraduates are not awarded this type of honor, or a different naming system of used. In general, secondary schools do not use a system of Latin honors to recognize distinctive students, utilizing a separate honors system instead.
There are actually three classes of Latin academic honors in use in the United States and around the world, and most universities use at least two of them. All universities use cum laude, which means “with praise.” Some universities also add magna cum laude, which translates to “with great praise”. The third honor is summa cum laude, for “with highest praise,” used for only the very best students. Most universities use the Latin terms rather than the English for honors, whether or not they print diplomas in Latin.
Students who are interested in graduating with cum laude status should consult the policies of their individual educational institutions for more information. In many instances, the honors are awarded individually by department, and honors information will be maintained in the offices of the relevant department. Some universities award honors status by class rank, for example giving the top two percent of graduating students honors, while others award honors on the basis of grades and supplemental coursework, meaning that the number of honors students can fluctuate. Either way, earning a cum laude degree is hard work, and a cause for celebration.
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anon180153
Post 36 |
In the Inter American University of Puerto Rico: 3.25-3.49: Cum Laude 3.50-3.84: Magna Cum Laude 3.85-4.00: Summa Cum Laude
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anon174294
Post 35 |
At Cornell University varies, depending on the college. In the AEM Dyson Business School it is: 3.5-3.699 cum laude 3.7-3.999 magna cum laude 4.0 or better summa cum laude Dean's List: 3.5 or better BS with Honors: must graduate with latin honors
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anon156059
Post 34 |
Here in the Netherlands, we normally do not distinguish between cum laude, summa cum laude and magna cum laude. Out of a scoring system of 10, if you receive a final average mark on your BSc or MSc of 8 or 8.5 (depending on the school you go to) or higher than you receive the the "cum laude" distinction. Some schools also state that not a single mark on course work or the final thesis should be lower than 7.5 or an 8 to receive this distinction. I think the reason for only one type (cum laude)of distinction, is because it is difficult to get all marks above 8 or 8.5. In most cases you will automatically be in the top 5 to 10 percent of the class.
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anon151909
Post 33 |
Ohio State University 3.5 - 3.69: cum laude 3.7 - 3.89: magna cum laude 3.9-plus: summa cum laude I only managed regular old cum laude myself. |
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anon142779
Post 32 |
I attend an ivy league undergraduate program in the US and here it's not done solely by GPA. Because so many students here get straight A's, our cum laude recognition is based on GPA, academic achievement (such as being rewarded with departmental honors, becoming published, being awarded grant money for research, etc.) and percentages. The minimum GPA for cum laude is 3.5, the minimum for magna cum laude is 3.67, and the minimum for summa cum laude is 3.9. But again, because so many students have GPAs in the 3.5-4.0 range, only the top 25 percent of the graduating class can receive honors "with no more than 5 percent summa cum laude, and the total of summa and magna cum laude not exceeding 15 percent." Our GPA minimums for Honor Society and Dean's List are also quite higher than most schools because otherwise, everyone would make it. |
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anon133494
Post 31 |
In Venezuela as we use a grades scale from 1 to 20 points. Cum laude is when you graduate with 18, magna cum laude with 19 and summa cum laude with 20. I particularly finished a short term career as cum laude, and people now say that I have almost every door opened for continuing my studies at any university. That should be called an advantage of being cum laude. Regards. |
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anon131257
Post 30 |
Thank you for the info. I attend AIU Online and I am shooting to graduate Cum Laude but I need to find out what the school's policy for Cum Laude is. Do they tally up your GPA by semester, by year or what, how do they do it? Thanks, C.C. |
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anon130828
Post 29 |
Here in the Philippines, most universities and colleges use a different grading system. 1.00 (Flat One) is the highest score which is equivalent to 96-100 of grade while the lowest is 3.00 which equivalent of 75% or the passing mark. For a summa cum laude, it must be 1.00-1.19 Magna cum laude, 1.20-1.45 and Cum laude, 1.46-1.75. A 1.75 grade is equivalent to 89-85. |
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anon117123
Post 27 |
I graduated from American InterContinental University with a 3.5 GPA and they considered it "cum laude." |
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anon114548
Post 26 |
my University requirements: 3.500 - 3.750 Cum Laude 3.751 - 3.899 Magna Cum Laude 3.900 - 4.000 Summa Cum Laude I am very proud that I graduated Summa Cum Laude. |
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anon110851
Post 25 |
I go to Nazarene Theological Seminary and theirs is, I think: 3.4 - cum laude (mostly A's, a few B's, and maybe a C) 3.75 - magna cum laude (mostly A's with a B or two; no room for C's here) 4.0 - summa cum laude - Straight A's. Few will graduate magna cum laude, and it could be that there are no summa cum laudes in a graduating class. Very high standards here. |
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anon110385
Post 24 |
I graduated summa cum laude with a 4.0 GPA in 2006 and couldn't be prouder of my achievements. Congratulations to anyone who makes it that far - it is definitely an honor worth working for. |
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anon109343
Post 23 |
cum laude is awarded to the top 1 percent of students at my university. It is very hard to get this grading, even with diligent study. |
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anon105983
Post 22 |
Auburn University is 3.4-3.59 Cum Laude 3.6-3.79 Manga Cum Laude 3.8 of higher Summa Cum Laude If I maintain my GPA for the rest of the semester, I'll be graduating summa cum laude. Thanks for the info, btw. I did not know what those latin phrases meant. |
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anon93990
Post 21 |
Universidad nacional autonoma de honduras 80% - 90% - cum laude 91% - 95% - magna cum laude 96% - 100% - summa cum laude |
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anon89452
Post 19 |
It all depends on your university and their grading scale. 3.60 and 3.7499 Cum Laude 3.75 and 3.8999 Magna Cum Laude 3.90 and 4.0000 Summa Cum Laude That is mine and I know a lot of universities did away with the A+ a long time ago so an A is 4.0, A- 3.667 B+ 3.333 B 3.000 etc. Each school is different on how they award their honors. |
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anon85247
Post 18 |
I've been awarded "cum laude" with a 3.8 average. |
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anon83266
Post 17 |
Top 10 percent is cum laude Top 5 percent is magna cum laude Top 1 percent is summa cum laude So, the actual GPA for who receives what honor changes from year to year and class to class depending on how many students get a certain GPA. If more students do poorly one year, then cum laude GPA will be lower. If more do wonderfully one year, the GPA for cum laude will be a higher cut off. And so on. |
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anon83118
Post 16 |
At my (American) university, honors are awarded for the following GPAs: Cum Laude: 3.50 Magna Cum Laude: 3.75 Summa Cum Laude: 3.90 |
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anon82380
Post 15 |
Actually at my University, A B+ is a 3.5 average. |
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anon80981
Post 14 |
At my university it is: 3.25 + Cum laude 3.50 + Magna cum laude 3.70 + Summa cum laude |
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anon79985
Post 13 |
Here in Puerto Rico: 3.50-3.59 cum laude 3.60-3.79 magna cum laude 3.80-4.00 summa cum laude For Master's degree there are no honors. |
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anon79399
Post 12 |
My university awarded me a cum laude for a 3.71 GPA. So I guess it really differs depending on the school. |
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anon76480
Post 11 |
To waynecharney's comment on Vet Med being a degree earned in five years. I am not aware of any state that would allow a veterinarian to practice without a doctorate, a DVM. This usually requires the same four years of vet school after earning a bachlors degree. Many vets continue training beyond their DVM as interns and residents. It's rather frightening to think there might be vets in practice with so little training. |
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anon72705
Post 10 |
How about the different grading system which has 1.0 as highest? |
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anon66145
Post 9 |
3.5-3.59 cum laude 3.6-3.79 magna cum laude 3.8 or better summa cum laude |
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anon57252
Post 8 |
There are two separate GPA calculation methods in use in the United States. The more common one does indeed go by 3/10ths, as noted in the editor's reply above. Other schools (like mine) go by 1/3rds. |
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anon47848
Post 7 |
Do *all* Universities *not* recognize the cum laude levels in graduate programs? Or do some universities in the U.S.A. recognize it? |
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suesweeney
Post 6 |
Is it proper to print cum laude beginning with a capital letter? I was taught it was to be written all lower case but I see it printed beginning with acapital letter often now. |
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anon38805
Post 4 |
One school I went to (my community college) had 3.55 as an A-. My current school (university) has a 3.7 as an A-. Regardless of the fact that both schools were different, the combined G.P.A. of both schools works off the number system, not the letter system. Therefore, even though I received an A- (for an example) at my community college, it was worth a B+ at my university.
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waynecharney
Post 3 |
Some university administrators suggest that the cum laude designations ought properly be reserved for baccalaureate degrees alone and that, because the attainment of a Master's degree represents honorable academic achievement in and of itself, graduate students working for a Master's should not (indeed, cannot) be honored with cum laude designations. However, what about those academic programs (usually at least five years long) wherein the first degree offered to its majors is the Master's, there no longer being any baccalaureate degree available depending on the institution? Vet Med is one such program, but increasingly first-professional degree Bachelor's programs in Architecture are switching to a first-professional degree Master's in Architecture instead. Would cum laude be permissible under those unique circumstances? And how does one make a case for it? |
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anon11436
Post 2 |
3.7 is far from an A minus average. An A minus average would be more accurately described as 3.3
Editor's reply: it depends on the policies of your school or university, but i believe most schools that use pluses or minuses deduct .3 for a minus, and add .3 for a plus. so, a b- is 2.7; b is 3.0, and b+ is 3.3
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sikkim
Post 1 |
the university i went to honored students who had a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.7 with "cum laude". that is equivalent to an "A minus" grade point average. if i recall correctly a 3.8 was required for magna cum laude, and 3.9 for summa cum laude.
i think that some universities use percentages to assign these honors... for example, top x% are cum laude, top y% magna cum laude etc. |
