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GPA CollegeCalculator

Cum laude calculator

Enter your cumulative GPA to see which Latin honors band you are in, and exactly how far you are from the next one.

From your transcript.

Graded credits so far.

Credits left before you graduate.

  • Summa cum laude

    With highest honor

    3.90+Out of reach

  • Magna cum laude

    With great honor

    3.70+Needs 3.94 average

  • Cum laude

    With honor

    3.50+Reached

“Needs” is the average grade you must earn across your remaining credits to finish at that cutoff, on a 4.0 scale.

Your honors band

Cum laude

A 3.62 clears the usual cum laude cutoff of 3.50.

These cutoffs are typical, not a rule. Many schools award honors to a fixed share of the graduating class instead, so the GPA needed moves each year. Your catalog is the authority.

The two systems schools use

Latin honors are awarded one of two ways, and which one your school uses changes how you should plan.

Fixed GPA thresholds publish a number. Reach 3.50 and you graduate cum laude, regardless of how anyone else did. This is the more common approach and the one you can actually plan against.

Class percentile awards honors to a set share of each graduating class, often the top 20, 10 and 5 percent. The GPA needed moves every year with your cohort. At competitive universities where grade inflation has pushed averages up, the actual cum laude line can sit well above 3.50, sometimes near 3.7 or higher.

Your course catalog states which system applies. Check it before you plan around 3.50, because chasing a 3.50 at a percentile school can leave you short of the actual cutoff. The guide to what 11 schools publish shows how far the rules spread.

The credit requirement people miss

Many schools require a minimum number of credits earned at that institution before you are eligible. The University of Connecticut, for example, requires at least 54 calculable credits there, while Johnson & Wales lists no credit minimum. Transfer students who complete two years elsewhere and two years at the degree- granting school often just clear it, and those who transfer later frequently do not qualify at all no matter how high the GPA.

Honors are also normally calculated on your institutional GPA alone, so strong transfer grades usually do not help. If you want to see the combined figure across every school you attended, use the transfer GPA calculator.

Closing a small gap

If you are within about 0.05 of a threshold with a year to go, it is reachable. Beyond roughly 0.15 with only one term left, the arithmetic is usually against you, because a single term is a small share of a four-year record. The target GPA calculator will tell you the exact term average required and whether it exceeds what your school can award.

Honors are computed on your cumulative GPA at the moment of graduation, so a strong final term counts fully even though it posts late.

Typical Latin honors cutoffs
HonorUsual minimum GPA
Summa cum laudeWith highest honor3.90
Magna cum laudeWith great honor3.70
Cum laudeWith honor3.50

Cutoffs vary. Many schools award honors to a fixed top percentage of the class instead of a fixed GPA, so check your own catalog.

Cutoffs three schools publish
SchoolCumMagnaSumma
Johnson & Wales3.503.703.90
Cal State San Marcos3.503.703.90
UConn3.003.403.70

UConn also requires a class rank at or above the 75th, 85th and 95th percentile, and Cal State San Marcos uses the lower of its own GPA and your overall GPA.

Common questions

What GPA do you need for cum laude?
Many schools use 3.50 for cum laude, 3.70 for magna and 3.90 for summa, but published cutoffs vary. The University of Connecticut, for example, lists 3.0, 3.4 and 3.7 as minimums and adds class rank. Plenty of other schools set cum laude at 3.40 or 3.60, and some award honors to a fixed share of the graduating class instead of using a fixed GPA at all.
What is the difference between cum laude, magna cum laude and summa cum laude?
They are Latin for with honor, with great honor and with highest honor, and they run in that order. Cum laude is the entry level, magna cum laude sits above it and summa cum laude is the highest, usually reserved for a very small group at the top of the class.
Is Latin honors based on GPA or class rank?
It depends on the institution. Fixed-GPA schools publish thresholds you can plan against. Percentile schools award honors to the top share of each graduating class, commonly the top 5, 10 and 20 percent, which means the GPA required moves every year with the strength of your cohort. Some large and highly selective universities use percentile systems.
Do all my credits count toward Latin honors?
Usually not. Many schools require a minimum number of credits completed at that institution (the University of Connecticut requires at least 54 calculable credits), and base honors on the institutional GPA only. Transfer credits typically count toward the degree but not toward the honors calculation.
Is a 3.7 GPA cum laude?
A 3.7 usually earns magna cum laude, the middle tier, because 3.70 is the most common magna cutoff. At a school that sets magna at 3.75 or 3.80, a 3.7 is cum laude instead. The catalog for your school lists its cutoffs.
Is a 3.8 GPA magna or summa cum laude?
A 3.8 is usually magna cum laude. Summa cum laude normally starts at 3.90, so a 3.8 falls 0.10 short. Schools that award summa to a fixed top share of the class, such as the top 5 percent, can set the line above or below that.
Is a 3.4 GPA honors in college?
A 3.4 is below the usual 3.50 cum laude cutoff, so it does not earn Latin honors at most schools. Some schools set cum laude at 3.40 or lower, and some award honors by class rank instead of a fixed GPA, so check your catalog.
Is Latin honors decided before graduation?
The version printed in the commencement program is usually provisional, calculated before final-term grades post. The official designation on your diploma and transcript is set after all grades are recorded, so it can differ from what the program said.
Does Latin honors matter after graduation?
It helps most in the first few years. Graduate and professional programs notice it, and some employers, especially in law, consulting and finance, screen on it for entry-level hiring. Once you have a work history, experience carries far more weight.

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