What you'll learn:
➤ What Is Summa Cum Laude?
Summa cum laude is like a special award that schools give to students who did amazingly well in their studies. It’s a Latin phrase that means they did their degree “with the highest distinction,” which is a fancy way of saying they did really, really great.
In the United States, there are three types of these awards. Besides summa cum laude, there’s also magna cum laude, which means “with great distinction,” and cum laude, which means “with distinction.”
Different schools have different rules for how students can get these awards. Even some high schools in the United States now give out awards like these when students graduate. But you know what’s interesting? Not many other countries in the world use this kind of award system.
| 🏆 Key Takeaways |
|---|
| Summa Cum Laude Definition 🎓 |
| – Highest honor among Latin honors 🏅 |
| – Greater honor than others 🌟 |
| – Given for exceptional achievement 🚀 |
| Criteria for Summa Cum Laude 📊 |
| – High GPA, often 3.9 or above 📈 |
| – Top class rank or percentile 📚 📈 |
| – Completion of challenging projects ✨ |
| – Faculty recommendations 📋 |
| – Criteria vary by institution 🏛️ |
| Impression of Latin Honors 💼 |
| – Demonstrates strong academic excellence 📚 |
| – May indicate dedication and effort 🏆 |
| – Impact on job prospects is uncertain 🤔 💼 |
➤ Help Me Understand Summa Cum Laude
Summa cum laude is a special award given to some students when they finish their bachelor’s degree. It’s one of three kinds of awards with Latin names that students can get. These awards are like big compliments for doing really well in school.
When students get these awards, they might wear special things like colorful scarves during their graduation ceremony. The name of the award is also said out loud when their name is called during the ceremony.
To get these awards, students need to meet certain requirements. These can include having a high grade point average (GPA), being at the top of their class, completing a certain number of classes, and getting recognized by their department.
Each school makes its own rules for these awards. Some schools don’t give them at all, while others have different types of awards that are kind of like the Latin awards.
For example, Stanford University doesn’t use Latin names for awards. Instead, they have different names that mean similar things. Like “with Distinction” means something special there, just like the Latin awards mean something special at other schools.
➤ Is GPA Linked to Summa Cum Laude?
Some schools use a number called GPA to decide who gets the summa cum laude award. This number shows how well students did in their classes. Different schools have different rules.
For example, at the University of New Mexico, students need to finish around 60 classes and have a GPA of 3.90 or higher to get the award.
But at Denver University, students need an even higher GPA of 3.95. They also need to finish around 90 classes, which is like a lot. They might also need to do a special project.
Since summa cum laude is usually the biggest award of the three Latin honors, only a few students usually get it. Sometimes, just a few students in the whole graduation group get this special award.
The number of students who get the award can change each year. Some years, more students might get it, and some years, fewer might. As long as students meet the GPA rule, there could be a lot of them or only a few.
➤ Is Class Rank linked to Summa Cum Laude?
While many schools in the U.S. mainly use GPA to decide who gets Latin honors like summa cum laude, there are other things that matter too. One of these things is called class rank. Some schools give the summa cum laude award to students who are at the very top of their class. In this case, GPA is important, but students might not need a specific GPA to get this award.
Here’s how class rank-based Latin honors work: Graduates from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst need to be in the top 5% of their class and finish about 45 classes to get the summa cum laude award.
In some situations, Latin honors are based on how well students did in specific classes. Sometimes, these classes are special honors classes or classes related to their major.
For example, at the University of Notre Dame, students earn Latin honors based on the college that’s in charge of their major. To get the summa cum laude award, they need to be in the top 5% of their class. Because class ranks change depending on how others are doing, the GPA can change every year. In one year, students at the College of Arts & Letters needed a GPA of 3.94 to earn the award. But in a different year, back in 2009, they needed a GPA of 3.927 to get the award.
When students earn honors like summa cum laude, it’s written on official school records and even on their diploma, which is like a fancy certificate they get when they finish their degree.
➤ Harvard’s Summa Cum Laude
Harvard University is often recognized as the first American college to give out Latin honors during graduations.
Harvard’s way of giving Latin honors is quite unique, both in history and now. Harvard professors decide who gets summa cum laude based on a few things. They look at the grades a student got in the classes for their main subject. They also think about how tough those classes were. Plus, they check if the student did a big project like a senior thesis or passed a tough test, either in writing or by talking.
At Harvard, only students who are in the top 4-5% of their class can get summa cum laude honors for their main subject. The whole university uses the 4-5% rule to give out summa cum laude for everyone. Harvard figures out the rules each May.
Harvard College started using two Latin honors in 1869—cum laude and summa cum laude. Later in 1880, they added another one, magna cum laude. To get summa cum laude, students need a GPA of at least 3.976, as of May 2022. This means they need really high grades to get this special honor.
➤ Impact of Summa Cum Laude
At most colleges and universities, most students who finish a bachelor’s degree don’t get any kind of Latin honors. But for those who do, these honors can affect their future in different ways, depending on things like what they studied and what they want to do next.
Some grad schools, like top law schools, really care about a student’s rank in class and their GPA. In other areas, though, these honors might not be as important.
When graduates look for jobs, having a Latin honor on their resume could impress a boss. It shows that they’re smart and hardworking. But for some jobs, the skills a candidate has or their personality might matter more. Sometimes, even if a student went to a famous school like Harvard, that matters more than how well they did there. Most job ads ask for a B.A. or B.S. degree, but they usually don’t need a certain GPA or Latin honor level.
➤ Summa Cum Laude FAQ
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What Does Summa Cum Laude Mean? | |
| – What is it? 🏆 | An honor from universities for a few top graduates. |
| – What does the name mean? 🌟 | “Highest honor” in Latin. |
| – How do students earn it? 📚🎓 | High grades, top percentage in class, or other achievements. |
| What Is Higher, Summa or Magna? | |
| – What’s higher? ⬆️ | Summa cum laude is higher than magna cum laude. |
| – What do the Latin terms mean? 🌟🌟 | Summa: “With the highest distinction,” Magna: “With great distinction.” |
| – What comes after them? 🌟🌟 | Cum laude: “With distinction.” |
| What Is the Highest Honor in College? | |
| – What’s the highest individual honor? 🏆 | Valedictorian. |
| – What’s the group’s highest honor? 🌟 | Summa cum laude. |
| – What’s next after that? 🌟🌟 | Magna cum laude, then cum laude. |
| How Do You Get Summa Cum Laude? | |
| – Is there a universal rule? 🤷♂️ | No, it varies by school or department. |
| – What’s often the main requirement? 📈 | High GPA, usually 3.9 or above. |
| – What else might be needed? 📚🎓 | High class rank, completed courses, thesis or project. |
| How Do You List an Honors Degree on a Resume? | |
| – How is an honors degree listed? 📜 | After the degree, like B.A., separated by a comma. |
| – What if there’s a major? 🧑🎓 | It can come after the major, like B.A. in History, magna cum laude. |
| – How should Latin titles look? 🇱🇦🇹 | Lowercase and in italics, like summa cum laude. |
