What is cum laude? Magna and summa cum laude explained
Cum laude, magna cum laude and summa cum laude are Latin honors: distinctions a college adds to a degree for high grades. Summa cum laude is the highest. Each college sets its own rules: at the five colleges compared below, cum laude takes a GPA of 3.2 to 3.5, magna cum laude 3.5 to 3.75 and summa cum laude 3.8 to 3.95. To see where you stand, use the GPA calculator.
What does cum laude mean?
Cum laude is Latin for “with praise”, and it’s often translated as “with honor”. The other two honors add a word that raises the praise:
| Honor | Meaning | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Summa cum laude | With highest praise, or with highest honor | Highest |
| Magna cum laude | With great praise, or with great honor | Second |
| Cum laude | With praise, or with honor | Third |
The honor is usually noted on the diploma and the transcript, and graduates are often recognized at commencement, for example with an honor cord. Latin honors are separate from departmental honors and honors programs, which have their own requirements.
What is magna cum laude?
Magna cum laude means “with great praise”. It’s the middle of the three Latin honors, above cum laude and below summa cum laude. At the colleges compared below it takes a GPA of 3.5 to 3.75.
What is summa cum laude?
Summa cum laude means “with highest praise”. It’s the highest Latin honor, and at the colleges compared below it takes a GPA of 3.8 to 3.95. Colleges that rank by class honor only the top few percent this way.
Is magna cum laude the highest honor?
No. Summa cum laude is the highest Latin honor, magna cum laude is second, and cum laude is third. Magna cum laude is still a strong result, well above a B+ average.
What GPA is cum laude, magna cum laude and summa cum laude?
There’s no national rule. Each college sets its own cutoffs on the 4.0 scale, and they differ by a few tenths. These are the cutoffs five colleges’ registrars publish:
| College | Cum laude | Magna cum laude | Summa cum laude |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Utah | 3.5 | 3.7 | 3.9 |
| University of South Carolina | 3.5 | 3.75 | 3.95 |
| University of Illinois Chicago | 3.5 | 3.75 | 3.9 |
| University of Southern Mississippi | 3.5 | 3.7 | 3.85 |
| City College of New York | 3.2 | 3.5 | 3.8 |
Among these five, cum laude takes a 3.5 at four and a 3.2 at City College of New York, and summa cum laude takes 3.8 to 3.95. Your college’s catalog or registrar’s website has its exact numbers.
Colleges that award honors by class rank
Some colleges don’t publish a fixed GPA. They honor a share of each graduating class instead, so the GPA needed changes from year to year and between schools within the college.
- UT Dallas gives summa cum laude to the top 5% of graduates, magna cum laude to the next 10% and cum laude to the next 15%, with a 3.40 GPA minimum. For Fall 2025 to Summer 2026, summa cum laude took a 3.991 in Natural Sciences and Mathematics and a 3.935 in the Jindal School of Management.
- UC Irvine honors no more than 16% of graduates: about 2% summa cum laude, 4% magna cum laude and 10% cum laude. For 2025–26, cum laude took between 3.742 and 3.929, depending on the school.
At colleges like these, a 3.7 may not be enough for any Latin honor, so check the latest published cutoffs rather than a general rule.
What else do you need besides the GPA?
A high GPA isn’t always enough. Colleges can add conditions like these:
- Credits at the college. The University of Utah requires at least 60 semester hours there, 50 of them letter-graded. The University of South Carolina requires 60 hours in residence, and the University of Illinois Chicago awards honors on the GPA earned at UIC alone, so transfer grades don’t count there.
- Letter grades. Pass/fail courses aren’t part of the GPA, and some colleges set a minimum number of graded hours. UT Dallas asks for at least 45.
- Rounding. A 3.495 isn’t always a 3.5. Colleges differ on whether they round a GPA before comparing it with a cutoff, so check your registrar’s rule if you’re close.
How do you write cum laude on a résumé?
Put the honor after your degree, in lowercase: “Bachelor of Science in Biology, magna cum laude”. Many people italicize it, as with other Latin phrases. List it only once it has been awarded, and use the exact honor on your transcript.
Latin honors outside the US
The same Latin terms are used in other countries, often differently. German doctorates, for instance, are graded summa cum laude, magna cum laude, cum laude or rite (passed), so there cum laude is the third of four grades rather than an extra honor.
Sources
Cutoffs and requirements come from the registrars of the University of Utah, University of South Carolina, University of Illinois Chicago, University of Southern Mississippi, City College of New York, UT Dallas and UC Irvine. Checked September 2026.