The graduating class of 1869 was the first to have students receive either a cum laude or a summa cum laude honorary distinction upon graduating. The school introduced the magna cum laude distinction in 1880, around the time that other universities began recognizing graduating students with the same Latin honors. Only students who graduate in the top 4-5% of their graduating class may earn summa cum laude honors in their field. Graduates earn summa cum laude over the entire university based on the 4-5% class rank, and Harvard sets standards for the academic year each May. For instance, students at the University of Notre Dame earn Latin honors within the college that oversees the student’s major.

Critics of Latin honors are less concerned with their potential post-graduation benefits than the unintended effect they may have on students while they’re still in school. A 2011 editorial in Harvard University’s student newspaper, the Crimson, called for their abolition at the school. 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. Honor Society® Membership Club offers exclusive benefits to foster your professional and personal development.

1. High schools across the United States are increasingly including Latin honors for students upon graduation.
2. One of these is class rank; some institutions reserve the summa cum laude title for students graduating at the highest levels of their class.
3. So here are some example sentences that utilize the phrase summa cum laude.
4. The graduating class of 1869 was the first to have students receive either a cum laude or a summa cum laude honorary distinction upon graduating.
5. Her expertise is in personal finance and investing, and real estate.

So when we’re looking for a way to honor someone for high academic distinctions, it makes sense that we’d choose the language of culture and scholarship to do so. Your cumulative GPA is listed on your Academic History and generally includes all classes taken at UC San Diego, another UC Campus (but not through any UC Extension), UC Education Abroad, the UC Natural Reserve System, and the UC/DC or UC Sacramento programs. These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word ‘summa cum laude.’ Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. In the U.S. the Latin honors system can be traced back to 1869 at Harvard University. Only a few other countries, such as Indonesia, Israel, and Canada also use this academic award system.

Summa Cum Laude Meaning: Here’s What It Means and How to Use It

My brother graduated summa cum laude from Harvard University, so he’s kind of a big deal. Seeing the word or phrase used in a sentence can help us to better understand both what the word means and how to use it. So here are some example sentences that utilize the phrase summa cum laude. The adverb could describe how a person graduated, and the adjective could be used to describe a particular bachelor’s degree or diploma. By the end of this article, you’ll have a full grasp of what this phrase means, where it came from, and how to use it. It’s a somewhat common phrase, but as with many Latin words that we transfer into the English language, sometimes it can be difficult to know what it really means.

Joseph got his bachelor’s degree with a magna cum laude honor and his master’s degree with a summa cum laude honor. There is also another distinction, called “cum laude,” which simply means “with honor.” This is the third rank when it comes to college graduates. It’s given to those who performed very well but not at the top levels. Cum laude is the lowest of the Latin graduation honors, but it’s still nothing to sneeze at. “Cum laude” is Latin for “with honor,” and you’ll see this phrase appear in the other two designations.

The Three Academic Distinctions

Learn how Latin Honors (Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude, and https://1investing.in/) are calculated and added to graduating seniors’ diplomas. “Magna cum laude” is Latin for “with great distinction.” “Summa cum laude” translates as “with the highest distinction.” Cum laude or “with distinction” is third. Harvard, however, appears to have been unmoved by that argument and continues to award Latin honors as of this writing. Kevin Miller is a growth marketer with an extensive background in Search Engine Optimization, paid acquisition and email marketing. He is also an online editor and writer based out of Los Angeles, CA.

What is the Average GPA?

These schools typically put in place set regulations and criteria that define what must be accomplished or achieved to reach a certain honor level. Each school sets its own standards, and the standards can vary substantially from one academic institution to the next. In most cases, the more prestigious a school is, the more rigorous the honors requirements are. Summa cum laude indicates the greatest distinction of three commonly used types of academic honors recognized in the United States, expressed in Latin.

High schools traditionally recognize the highest grade in the class with the honor of valedictorian, although there is a trend towards recognizing multiple top students—including classes with dozens of valedictorians. Some high schools use the three-tiered Latin honors system and award honors based on GPA or class ranking percentage. The guidelines under which students achieve each level of academic honor differ from institution to institution. High schools across the United States are increasingly including Latin honors for students upon graduation.

Every university or college outlines its expectations for each program. Some higher education institutions do not bestow Latin-termed honors at all. Others, like Stanford University, have a separate set of non-Latin honorary titles (such as “with Distinction”) that are typically seen as roughly equivalent to the traditional Latin titles. In Spain, the Latin honors cum laude is used for PhD degrees only, and is awarded after a secret vote of the jury members, using envelopes that must be opened in a separate session, and requiring unanimity. For undergraduate degrees, Latin honors are used in only a few countries such as Israel, Indonesia, the Dominican Republic, the Philippines and Canada. Malta shows the Latin honors on the degree certificates, but the UK model is shown on the transcript.

Take your learning and productivity to the next level with our Premium Templates. UC San Diego cumulative GPAs are calculated to the third decimal place, without rounding. No exceptions are made for students who are close but just under any of the GPA cutoffs or the 72-unit requirement.

Just remember that summa cum laude is the “summit” or highest achievement. These Latin honors indicate that someone earned a certain grade point average during their time in college. Read on to learn more about what each of these means and why we use them in academia.

This honor is sometimes reserved for students with perfect grades (4.0+), but the criteria varies depending on the school. Some colleges even have different GPA requirements for different majors—for example, an education major might need a 3.96 to graduate summa cum laude, while graduates from the school of medicine only need a 3.87. 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. Some schools, such as Stanford University, don’t offer Latin honors at all. Most do, however, have an alternative system, so that stellar students don’t go unrecognized.

Can you solve 4 words at once?

summa cum laude is the academic honor given to the highest achieving students, and magna cum laude is given to the next highest achievers. Any form of cum laude distinction is a great honor and signifies that this student performed very well in school. The ranking of students for eligibility for college honors is based on their cumulative grade point average. To be eligible for honors, you must receive letter grades for at least 72 quarter-units of course work at the University of California.

Both of these are variations signifying the level of honor you’re graduating with, and cum laude signifies that you’re graduating with basic honor. Summa cum laude is one of the Latin phrases used to indicate academic distinction and recognition in relation to a specific degree that has been earned. The Latin honors system is used primarily in the United States and Europe, as well as in some Southeast Asian countries with a colonial European history. Summa cum laude is the highest honor awarded by educational institutions.