What does magna cum laude mean?

Magna cum laude means “with great praise,” commonly expressed as “with high honors.” In the usual three-level Latin honors system, it sits above cum laude and below summa cum laude.

Separate the meaning from the eligibility rule

The distinction usually reflects strong academic performance at graduation, but no single GPA qualifies students at every school. Some institutions use fixed cutoffs; others use class standing or combine GPA with a thesis, project, or departmental evaluation.

Check which grades count. A cumulative GPA displayed in a student portal may not be the exact GPA used for graduation honors. Transfer work, repeated courses, upper-division credits, and rounding can be handled differently under institutional policies.

Put the answer into practice

• Read the rule for your college, degree, and catalog year.
• Record any thesis, project, or additional eligibility condition.
• Ask how pending final grades affect the determination.
• Wait for official confirmation before claiming the honor as awarded.

If your school lists provisional honors for a ceremony, clarify when the final record will be available. The transcript and commencement guide explains why the two records can differ.