Latin Honours: Summa, Magna, Cum Laude
Latin honours are the US university system's way of recognising exceptional academic achievement at graduation. Summa Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude, and Cum Laude each mark a different GPA tier, but every institution sets its own thresholds. This page explains the standard meanings, the difference between university-wide and departmental honours, FERPA rules for honours on transcripts, and how OpenEduCat auto-assigns Latin honours at graduation based on configurable CGPA thresholds.
The Three Latin Honours
Typical GPA thresholds used by US institutions. Each university sets its own exact cutoffs.
Summa Cum Laude
"With the highest praise"
≥ 3.9
typical minimum CGPA
Commonly 3.85–4.0 depending on institution
Appears on: Diploma, transcript, commencement programme
Magna Cum Laude
"With great praise"
≥ 3.7
typical minimum CGPA
Commonly 3.65–3.89 depending on institution
Appears on: Diploma, transcript, commencement programme
Cum Laude
"With praise"
≥ 3.5
typical minimum CGPA
Commonly 3.5–3.64 depending on institution
Appears on: Diploma, transcript, commencement programme
Important: These are typical thresholds, they are not mandated by any national standard. Harvard uses a percentage-based rank system. Other Ivy League schools have their own cutoffs. Always check the institution's own undergraduate catalogue for exact requirements.
University-Wide vs Departmental Honours
A student can receive both university-wide Latin honours and departmental honours simultaneously.
| Honours Type | Based On | Decided By | Appears On |
|---|---|---|---|
| University-Wide Latin Honours | CGPA at graduation | Registrar, automatic based on CGPA threshold | Diploma, official transcript |
| Departmental Honours | Departmental requirements (thesis, senior project, GPA in major) | Department faculty committee | Diploma as "Honors in [Major]", transcript |
| Phi Beta Kappa / Honour Societies | GPA + course breadth + faculty nomination | Faculty committee + honour society chapter | Transcript notation, not on diploma |
FERPA Rules for Honours on Transcripts
Honours are Education Records
Latin honours notations on transcripts and diplomas are education records under FERPA. This means:
- The institution cannot share honours data with employers or other parties without student consent
- Students can share their own honours information voluntarily (e.g., on a CV)
- Students who believe their honours designation was incorrectly assigned can request a review
- The honours notation cannot be removed from a transcript once awarded, it is a permanent record
Honours in the OpenEduCat Student Portal
When a student's CGPA reaches a Latin honours threshold, the classification appears in the student portal and on the downloadable transcript immediately after the graduation gradebook is published. The student can view their own designation and download the official transcript with honours notation. Third-party access to honours data follows the same FERPA-compliant role-based permissions as all other grade data in OpenEduCat.
How OpenEduCat Auto-Assigns Latin Honours
Configurable CGPA Thresholds
The advance.honours.classification record for the US module contains three lines: Summa Cum Laude (min_cgpa=3.9), Magna Cum Laude (min_cgpa=3.7), and Cum Laude (min_cgpa=3.5). Institutions with different thresholds simply update these values to match their undergraduate bulletin. No code changes required.
Automatic Assignment at Graduation
When the graduation-term gradebook is published, OpenEduCat runs _get_honours_line() on the student record. The system checks each classification line in sequence order: first Summa (≥3.9), then Magna (≥3.7), then Cum Laude (≥3.5). The first matching line is assigned as the student's honours classification.
Honours on the US Transcript Report
The US transcript report (us_course_grade_report.py) includes Latin honours at the graduation entry when assigned. The honours designation prints alongside the final CGPA on the summary line of the transcript. Students with departmental honours can have both notations on the same transcript.
Grade Forgiveness Integration
Because Latin honours are assigned from CGPA (and CGPA is computed using the grade forgiveness policy's best_grade replacement) the two features work together automatically. A student who used grade forgiveness to improve their CGPA above 3.5 will correctly receive Cum Laude if their final CGPA meets the threshold.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Latin honours at US universities.
Set your Latin honours thresholds, let OpenEduCat do the rest
Configure your Summa, Magna, and Cum Laude CGPA thresholds once. OpenEduCat assigns honours automatically at every graduation cycle.