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Summa and Magna Cum Laude: All About Graduating With Honors
By
Cece Gilmore
Cece Gilmore is a Content Writer at Scholarships360. Cece earned her undergraduate degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from Arizona State University. While at ASU, she was the education editor as well as a published staff reporter at Downtown Devil. Cece was also the co-host of her own radio show on Blaze Radio ASU.
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Bill Jack has over a decade of experience in college admissions and financial aid. Since 2008, he has worked at Colby College, Wesleyan University, University of Maine at Farmington, and Bates College.
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Maria Geiger is Director of Scholarship Services at Scholarships360. She is a former online educational technology instructor and adjunct writing instructor. In addition to education reform, Maria’s interests include viewpoint diversity, blended/flipped learning, digital communication, and integrating media/web tools into the curriculum to better facilitate student engagement. Maria earned both a B.A. and an M.A. in English Literature from Monmouth University, an M. Ed. in Education from Monmouth University, and a Virtual Online Teaching Certificate (VOLT) from the University of Pennsylvania.
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Graduating with summa or magna cum laude can be a great and honorable distinction. But, what does summa and magna cum laude mean? Keep reading to learn all about graduating with honors, including summa and magna cum laude!
What are Latin honors?
In college, there are many honor recognitions students can receive as a result of their grades. Three common Latin academic honors received at graduation include summa cum laude, magna cum laude and cum laude. Each Latin honor represents a certain academic achievement such as GPA or class rank. Some schools, such as Yale University, limit what percentage of the graduating student body are awarded honors.
Don’t miss: Top scholarships based on GPA
What is the summa cum laude distinction?
“Summa cum laude” is a Latin phrase that translates to “with highest honor,” so it is a distinction reserved for students who are at the top of their graduating class. However, there is no set standard for what summa cum laude distinction should be, so each university can decide what a student must accomplish in order to earn this honor. Regardless, summa cum laude is the highest honor a student can receive and can carry a lot of weight when applying for graduate school or a job post-college.
Typical summa cum laude GPA requirements: 3.9-4.0 GPA
Check out: Why you should enroll in an honors program
What is the magna cum laude distinction?
Magna cum laude translates to “with great honor”. It is the second-highest of the Latin honors.
Typical magna cum laude GPA requirements: 3.7-3.8 GPA
Note from a magna cum laude graduate
Cece Gilmore | Magna cum laude graduate, Arizona State University
What is Cum Laude distinction?
Cum laude translates to “with honor” and is the third-highest of the Latin honors.
Typical cum laude GPA requirements: 3.5-3.6 GPA
What is the difference between summa, magna and cum laude?
Typically, the only difference between the three honors distinctions is GPA or the criteria your school uses to determine who receives the different honors. Every college or university has different eligibility for the Latin honors. Some schools may base it on GPA only while others may base it on class rank by major or college. If you are unsure how your school distributes Latin honors, check with your advisor.
However, here is a chart of a typical GPA range for each distinction.
| Translation | Typical GPA requirement | |
| summa cum laude | “With highest honors” | 3.9 – 4.0 |
| magna cum laude | “With great honors” | 3.7 – 3.8 |
| cum laude | “With honors” | 3.5 – 3.6 |
Do Latin honors matter in undergrad?
Most students do not receive Latin honors. So, if you do receive honors it can be an impressive resume booster. However, Latin honors truly only matters for your future depending on what you want to do!
If you want to attend law school after college, there are typically difficult GPA requirements so having Latin honors will help you make it into that program. However, most graduate programs are more lenient in comparison with their requirements and not graduating with Latin honors will not prevent you from getting accepted to graduate school.
For graduates entering the job market, Latin honors could impress an employer as it shows your work ethic and intelligence. However, there may be other skill sets that are more important than Latin honors to obtain a job post-grad.
Ultimately, you should aspire to do your best in college, regardless of your post-college goals. Latin honors can only help you achieve these goals but for the most part are not necessary to be successful.
Also see: Grad school financing options
How to earn summa cum laude
Summa cum laude is the highest and hardest Latin honor to obtain during college. Here are some tips to help you be your best and earn summa cum laude!
Choose the right courses
College is a great time to choose from a variety of different classes to fulfill your degree requirements! So, if you are aiming to reach summa cum laude status, you should try and choose classes that most align with your passions, or take a class with a good professor. This can help improve your grades as you will care about the class material and you will have a great teacher and resource along the way.
Check out: How many credits do you need to earn a bachelor’s degree
Talk with your professors and advisors
To help reach summa status, creating a close relationship with your professors and your advisor can aid you. Professors and advisors will have advice and opportunities available to students who want to graduate with high honors. You may be able to join a research group or an honors society on campus.
Stay organized
Staying organized is one of the best ways to stay on top of your academics. When you are organized, you will be able to turn your work in on time and not miss any classes. Additionally, having an organized schedule can help you decide what extracurricular activities you can take on to boost your resume and expand your skills.
Also see: Top 10 tips to improve your GPA