Summa Cum Laude: Meaning and How to List It on a Resume
By Mustafa Tarabya, founder of CVBooster · Published · Updated
8 min read
Summa cum laude is Latin for "with highest praise", the top of the three Latin honors a US college can award with a bachelor's degree, above magna cum laude ("with great praise") and cum laude ("with praise"). The one constraint is that there is no national standard: each school sets its own cut-off, by GPA or by class rank. The definitions here follow the Latin honors entry on Wikipedia, and the cut-offs are quoted from two university registrars. Below are the meanings, the rules, and seven complete resume education sections that list the honor correctly. Written by Mustafa Tarabya, who hired for his own company, read every application himself and now writes CVBooster's guides.
You spent four years earning three words of Latin, and the resume template gives you a field called "Additional info" in grey 8-point text. The honor deserves better than that, and it takes one line to do it properly.
Summa cum laude on a resume: the short version
Put the honor on the same line as your degree, in the education section, with no extra heading. Write it in lowercase italics or in title case, and use the same style everywhere. Add your GPA next to it only if the GPA is strong too. Here is the format most new graduates need.
Entry level: New graduate, summa cum laude with GPA (38 words)
Education
Bachelor of Science in Accounting, summa cum laude Ohio State University, Columbus, OH | May 2026 GPA: 3.94/4.00
- Senior capstone: built a month-end close checklist for a local nonprofit's books - Beta Alpha Psi, chapter treasurer
What summa cum laude, magna cum laude and cum laude mean
The three honors are one ladder. The Wikipedia entry on Latin honors lists the three levels "in order of increasing merit", starting with cum laude and ending with summa cum laude.
- Cum laude means "with praise". It is the first level of graduation honors.
- Magna cum laude means "with great praise". It is the middle level.
- Summa cum laude means "with highest praise". It is the top level, and some schools rarely award it.
The same source is plain about the catch: "Each school sets its own standards." It also notes that "the same level of Latin honors conferred by different institutions can represent different levels of achievement." That is why a resume never needs to explain the honor. The reader knows the ranking even if they do not know your school's cut-off.
Latin honors are mostly an American habit. The Wikipedia entry says they are normally awarded with bachelor's degrees and law degrees, and "are not usually used for graduate students receiving master's or doctorate degrees." If your degree is from the UK, Ireland or Australia, the equivalent is your degree classification, such as First Class Honours, and that is what you list.
How schools decide who gets which honor
There are two common systems: a fixed GPA range, or a share of the graduating class.
The GPA system. Seton Hall University publishes fixed ranges in its undergraduate honors policy. It states that "Honors are awarded only to students who meet the following GPA requirements and have a minimum of 60 earned Seton Hall undergraduate credits". Its table sets cum laude at 3.395 to 3.594, magna cum laude at 3.595 to 3.894 and summa cum laude at 3.895 to 4.000.
The class rank system. Southern Methodist University sets new cut-offs every year. Its degree honors page says: "The thresholds generally correspond to the top 5%, 10%, and 15% of graduates within each school." The cut-off moves with the class, so the same GPA can earn a different honor in a different year.
Two schools, two systems, same three words. So the same GPA can earn magna cum laude at one college and a lower honor, or none, at another. On a resume this works in your favour: the reader sees the level, not the arithmetic.
Magna cum laude and cum laude on a resume
The format does not change with the level. Magna cum laude goes in exactly the same place as summa, after the degree name.
Entry level: Magna cum laude with dean's list and a GPA (44 words)
Education
Bachelor of Arts in Communication, magna cum laude University of Florida, Gainesville, FL | December 2025 GPA: 3.78/4.00 | Dean's List, six semesters
- Managing editor, student newspaper: edited 12 pages a week with a team of nine - Minor in Business Administration
If you also made the dean's list, one short mention is enough next to the GPA. Our guide to the dean's list on a resume covers when to name the semesters and when to drop it.
Entry level: Cum laude, GPA left off (36 words)
Education
Bachelor of Science in Nursing, cum laude University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX | May 2026
- Clinical rotations: medical surgical, pediatrics, emergency department - Senior practicum: 120 hours on a cardiac step-down unit
Here the honor carries the signal on its own. Leaving the GPA off is fine. The honor already tells the reader the grades were good.
Where the honor goes, and where it does not
The honor belongs to the degree, so it goes on the degree line. Three placements work:
- On the degree line, after a comma: "Bachelor of Arts in History, magna cum laude". This is the cleanest.
- On its own line under the degree: "Graduated summa cum laude". Use this when the degree name is long.
- In an Honors and Awards section, only when you have three or more awards and want them together.
Do not put Latin honors in your summary at the top unless you are a new graduate with little else. Do not write "Summa Cum Laude (top 5%)" unless your school states that figure for your year. And do not abbreviate it to "SCL". Nobody on a hiring team will decode it, and it looks like a typo.
Entry level: Long degree name, honor on its own line (56 words)
Education
Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering with a concentration in Thermal Systems Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA | May 2026 Graduated summa cum laude | GPA: 3.91/4.00
- Senior design: redesigned a heat exchanger mount for a local manufacturer, cutting assembly steps from nine to six - Undergraduate research assistant, combustion lab, two years
Latin honors after your first job
The honor matters most in your first two or three years. After that, your work history does the talking. Keep the honor on the degree line, drop the GPA, and move education below experience. It costs you one line and stays true forever.
Mid level: Five years in, honor kept on one line (15 words)
Education
Bachelor of Business Administration, magna cum laude University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI | 2021
That is the whole section. If you want to see where it sits on a full page, our step-by-step resume guide shows the order of sections by career stage.
Law school, double majors and honors not yet awarded
Law graduates use Latin honors too. A Juris Doctor with honors is listed the same way, and law firms read this line closely.
Entry level: Law graduate, JD cum laude (38 words)
Education
Juris Doctor, cum laude Fordham University School of Law, New York, NY | May 2026 Fordham Law Review, Staff Member
Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, magna cum laude Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA | May 2023
If you have two majors, the honor is still attached to the degree, not to each major. Our page on listing a double major shows the layout.
If you have not graduated yet, do not list an honor you have not been awarded. Your school confers it at graduation, and the cut-off can move. List the GPA instead, and add the honor once it appears on your transcript.
Entry level: Senior student, honors not yet conferred (38 words)
Education
Bachelor of Science in Biology University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI | Expected May 2027 GPA: 3.86/4.00 | Dean's List, five semesters
- Undergraduate thesis: soil microbe diversity in restored wetlands - Teaching assistant, introductory biology lab
When your honor arrives, it goes on the degree line, and the word "Expected" comes off. If you are writing your first resume, the education section can sit at the top until your experience overtakes it.
Frequently asked questions
What GPA is summa cum laude?
There is no single number, because each school sets its own. Seton Hall University sets summa cum laude at a GPA of 3.895 to 4.000 in its published honors policy. Southern Methodist University uses class rank instead and sets cut-offs each year. Check your own registrar's page or your transcript.
Which is higher, magna cum laude or summa cum laude?
Summa cum laude is higher. The order from lowest to highest is cum laude ("with praise"), magna cum laude ("with great praise") and summa cum laude ("with highest praise"). All three are graduation honors, so any of them is worth listing on your resume next to the degree.
What does cum laude mean?
Cum laude is Latin for "with praise". It is the first of the three Latin honors a US college can award with a degree, below magna cum laude and summa cum laude. It shows you graduated with grades above a level your school sets, usually by GPA or by class rank.
Should I put summa cum laude on my resume?
Yes. It is a short, verified fact that a hiring manager understands at a glance, and it costs one line. Put it on the same line as your degree in the education section. Keep it for your whole career, but drop the GPA after your first few years of work.
Do you capitalize summa cum laude on a resume?
Either style is accepted. Most resumes use lowercase italics, "summa cum laude", after the degree name. Some use title case, "Summa Cum Laude". Pick one and use it everywhere on the page, including in your cover letter, so the document looks consistent.
Can I put cum laude on my resume before I graduate?
No. Latin honors are conferred at graduation, and the final cut-off can change, so listing one early states something that is not yet true. Put your current GPA on the resume instead, then add the honor to the degree line once it appears on your transcript.
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