How to Graduate Cum Laude

Setting Yourself Up for Success

Choose the right courses. Though you may be tempted to load up on complex courses, it’s best to space them out. Even if you are extremely interested in the subjects, the course loads may be more than you can bear. While you shouldn’t try to skate through college taking easy classes, it is important to choose classes you think you’ll do well in. Try to balance your workload so that you have a few “easier” classes in the same semester are more labor-intensive ones.

Stay organized. Being organized is key to getting things done on time, and in the right way. If you don’t know what assignments are due or what the requirements are for an assignment, how can you expect to do your best and turn it in on time? Make or buy a day planner and organize it for school to keep track of due dates, assignment requirements, and more.

Find a good study environment. You might work best with the music blasting in your dorm room, or in the quiet depths of the library basement. Determine which things help you study (e.g., peace and quiet, eating dinner first, etc.), and which are distractions (e.g., leaving your door open, answering text messages, etc.).

Prioritize school over socializing. It can be hard to skip fun events like fraternity mixers, theme parties, or dorm room dance-offs in favor of hitting the books. However, time spent studying will pay off in the long run. If you really want to graduate cum laude, you have to dedicate yourself to getting the best grades possible. That doesn’t mean you can’t have fun, too, as long as your main focus stays on school. For instance, you could reward yourself with one night out a week as long as you are caught up on all your classwork.

Keeping Your GPA Up

Attend all your classes. It’s incredibly important that you show up to every single class. While you may be unable to avoid missing one due to illness or emergencies, aim to keep your attendance as close to 100% as possible. Not only do some professors detract points from your grade for missed classes, you will miss important lecture or discussion information that you can’t find in the textbook.

Take handwritten notes. Handwritten notes are retained better than typed notes. Writing your notes keeps you focused on the lecture and also prevents you from checking your social media or becoming distracted by web-surfing during class. You can also add visual components shown in class to your notes, like charts or graphs.

Do the required reading and homework. Though you may be tempted to skip a scene of Othello or simply browse through your history textbook, try to resist doing this. Make it a priority to read and complete every last thing your professor assigns. Hone your reading skills so that you can complete your assignments in less time.

Turn in all your assignments on time. Turning in your assignments late can mean a docked grade, which won’t help your GPA. Refer to your planner frequently so that you know which assignments are due for which class each day. For larger projects, make sure you start work ahead of time so you aren’t rushing to finish a paper that’s worth 25% of your grade the night before it’s due.

Form study groups. Studying with classmates can really help prepare you for exams. They may have information that you missed or be able to explain something in a way that helps you to better understand it. Find several people in each class that you think you would study well with and arrange to meet up. For example, you can choose to meet your study group once a week, or several times before each exam.

Talk to your professors. It’s important to develop strong relationships with your professors. Not only can they help you understand class material, they may also be able to write you letters of recommendation for graduating with honors. Figure out when and how your professors prefer to be contacted (e.g., Wednesday office hours, evening phone calls, etc.) at the beginning of the semester.

Turn in extra credit. If any of your professors offer extra credit opportunities, take advantage of them. You’ll be able to boost your grade or earn back points lost for absences, late assignments, missed exam questions, and the like. Find out at the beginning of the semester if each of your professors offers and accepts extra credit. If they do, add those assignments to your planner so you don’t forget to complete them.

Fulfilling Other Requirements

Complete the required number of hours. Passed credit hours needed to graduate cum laude vary by state and school. Find out how many credit hours you are required to pass at your university to qualify for graduating cum laude. The number of hours may range from 45 to 100 for your undergraduate degree.

Write a thesis, if required. Some schools will allow you to write a thesis if your GPA meets the cum laude requirements for the university (e.g., University of Miami), but falls under the requirements for your specific school or college (e.g., College of Liberal Arts). If you find yourself in this situation, give your thesis your undivided attention and best effort.

Get a faculty recommendation, if needed. You may be able to get a faculty member to recommend you for graduating cum laude if your grades don’t meet the requirements. Certain schools allow students to qualify for cum laude in a specific field based on faculty recommendations. Arrange to meet with a faculty member that you have a good relationship with and ask them to recommend you for cum laude. You could say, “You know, Professor, I am only one-tenth of a point away from graduating magna cum laude. How you do feel about recommending me for the honor based on my dedication to veterinary science and medicine?”

Determining GPA or Percentage Requirements

Find out the requirements for graduating cum laude. “Cum laude” means "with honor." GPA requirements may range from 3.5 to 3.7. Alternatively, students in the top 25 to 15% of their class may graduate cum laude. Contact the registrar’s office at your school to find out more about cum laude requirements.

Determine what is needed to graduate magna cum laude. “Magna cum laude” means “with great honor.” You may need a GPA between 3.8 to 3.9 to qualify for magna cum laude. Or, the students in the top 15 to 5% of their class may be chosen for magna cum laude. Figure out how your university determines eligibility for these honors.

Check the requirements for graduating summa cum laude. “Summa cum laude” means “with highest honor.” Usually, you’ll have to have a GPA of or over 4.0 to graduate summa cum laude. Some schools may choose summa cum laude students only if they are in the top 5% of their graduating class. This means that, theoretically, you could have a 4.0 GPA but still not be considered summa cum laude.