Latin Honors Policy
(Graduation Honors)
Link to Term
GPA information
Latin Honors at Graduation for Undergraduates
(Academic Code)
24.1 In the undergraduate colleges or schools, a degree will
be granted with highest honors (summa cum laude) if the students'
grade-point-average ranks among the top 5.000 percent of those students
graduating from the student's college or school; for a student whose
grade-point-average ranks among the top 15.000 percent of the student's
college or school, a degree will be granted with high honors (magna
cum laude); for a student whose grade-point-average ranks among
the top 30.000 percent of the student's college or school, a degree
will be granted with honors (cum laude). A student who meets the
requirements of more than one category of honors will be awarded
only the highest honor for which that student qualifies.
For undergraduate students who began before Fall 2001, the
follow Latin honors apply: In the undergraduate colleges, degrees
will be granted with honors (cum laude) if the student has a 3.400
cumulative average; a 3.600 cumulative average is required for graduation
with high honors (magna cum laude); and a 3.800 cumulative average
is required for graduation with highest honors (summa cum laude).
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Rules for determining Latin Honors for Undergraduates who began
Fall 2001 or after:
1) Latin honors are granted by college/school to those
undergraduate students who graduate in the top 30% of their college/school.
Those who graduate in the top 30% of their college/school receive
cum laude (honors); those in the top 15% of their college/school
receive magna cum laude (high honors); and those in the top 5% of
their college/school receive summa cum laude (highest honors).
2) Latin honors are determined by the Office of the
Registrar in February for the upcoming May ceremony using (a) the
final cumulative grade-point-averages for the undergraduates who
receive a bachelor degree in January, and (2) the cumulative grade-point-average
after the final Fall semester for the May degree candidates.
3) Using the cumulative grade-point-averages specified
in (2), all students are ranked by college/school. The grade-point-average
which represents the cut-off for the top 30%, 15%, and 5% in each
college/school is identified.
4) The Latin honors cut-offs are determined at the
third decimal place and are not rounded up. (Example: If 3.591 is
the 30% cut-off for a college, then a student in that college with
a 3.590 would not receive Latin honors.)
5) Within the same calendar year, January, May, and
August graduates will utilize the same grade-point-average cut-offs.
Hence, the established grade-point-average cut-offs will affect
the students who just graduated in January, and the upcoming May
and August graduates. (NOTE: January 2005 graduates are an exception
to the aforementioned rule. The new Latin honors rule first affects
students who entered in the fall of 2001 and graduate four years
later in May 2005.)
6) Transfer students follow the Latin honors rule
of the class which they joined upon admission.
7) Dual Degree undergraduates are eligible to earn
Latin honors for each degree successfully completed.