What Is Magna Cum Laude?
You've probably come across the term magna cum laude if you've dealt with academic achievements. It's a Latin phrase that translates to 'with great praise,' and I use it here to explain how it acknowledges students who graduate with a GPA near the top of their class. In the U.S., there are three levels of these Latin honors: cum laude for 'with distinction,' magna cum laude for 'with great praise,' and summa cum laude for 'with highest distinction.'
Key Takeaways
Each college or university sets its own GPA threshold for earning magna cum laude. These Latin honors are most often given with bachelor's degrees, but high schools can award them too, using the same terms.
Criteria
Latin honors like this are standard in U.S. colleges and universities, especially for bachelor's degrees. If you graduate with honors, you might wear a special stole or other marker during commencement, and your name could be announced with the distinction. Magna cum laude sits above cum laude in prestige but below summa cum laude.
Institutions define their own rules for this. Some base it on GPA, others on where you rank in the class—for instance, top 3% might qualify you. They could factor in other elements too, like requiring an honors thesis, letters of recommendation from faculty, or a set number of advanced courses.
Fast Fact
Latin honors get recorded on your official transcript, so they're a permanent part of your academic record.
Examples
Take Texas A&M: to earn magna cum laude there, you need to complete 60 credit hours with a GPA between 3.70 and 3.899. At UCLA for engineering, it means finishing in the top 5% to 10% of your class after 90 credits, and for 2024–2025, that requires a 3.938 GPA.
Brown University does things differently since they don't calculate GPAs. You can only get magna cum laude by earning a high percentage of A grades and S for distinction in courses, plus meeting other school criteria, and no more than 20% of the class qualifies.
What Other Honors Do Universities or Colleges Use?
Some schools opt for different labels, like 'with distinction,' either instead of or alongside the traditional Latin terms.
Is Magna Cum Laude Important for Graduates?
The value of magna cum laude or other Latin honors in the job market varies—some employers see it as a big plus, others don't care much. It can help when you're applying to graduate programs, though, especially competitive ones like top law schools that look for high undergraduate GPAs often tied to these honors.
What Do Latin Honors Indicate?
Graduating with honors shows you've performed at an exemplary level in your studies, highlighting your ability to excel academically.
The Bottom Line
Earning a college degree is an accomplishment in itself, but adding honors like magna cum laude can make you stand out among job seekers or grad school applicants. It signals consistent high performance throughout your studies.
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