Cum Laude on Resume - How to List Latin Honors on Your Resume

You crushed college, earned those fancy Latin honors, and now you're staring at a blank resume wondering if magna cum laude belongs next to your name or if it makes you look like you're trying too hard.

Here's the thing: those three little Latin words are basically academic currency that can open doors faster than you can say "summa."

But mess up the formatting, stick them in the wrong spot, or worse - leave them off entirely - and you've just tossed your competitive edge into the digital trash bin.

Whether you're a fresh grad whose biggest accomplishment is surviving organic chemistry or a career-changer leveraging academic credentials to break into a new field, this guide breaks down exactly where, when, and how to showcase your Latin honors without looking pretentious.

We'll cover everything from proper formatting rules and placement strategies to industry-specific considerations and real-world examples that actually work.

Understanding Latin Honors and When to Include Them on Your Resume

What Are Latin Honors and Their Significance

Think of cum laude, magna cum laude and summa cum laude as academic merit-badges that instantly telegraph “I crushed university.”

The Latin translates to “with praise,” “with great praise” and “with highest praise.”

Typical cut-offs hover around a 3.7 GPA for cum laude, 3.8-3.9 for magna, and a hair under 4.0 for summa.

However, every school draws the line differently: Harvard’s Registrar sets 3.762/3.931/3.989, while the University of Washington ranks by class percentile (top 0.5% for summa).

Employers read these signals as proof you can learn fast, manage deadlines and out-perform peers. The credentials are especially powerful in your first few career moves (before experience becomes the bigger deciding factor.)

When You Should Include Latin Honors on Your Resume

Before we dive into tactics, a tiny parable: Imagine two recent grads - Alex lists magna cum laude; Jordan doesn’t.

Same internships, same major. Guess who gets the callback? Exactly.

• You're a recent graduate (0-3 yrs experience).
• Your work history is thin but academic projects sparkle.
• You’re pursuing academia, law or research.
• You’re a career-changer leaning on education to prove aptitude.
• You’re applying to grad school or competitive fellowships.

The 2024 NACE Job Outlook shows fewer than 40% of U.S. employers still hard-screen by GPA, yet many recruiters say academic honors remain a quick tie-breaker for entry-level roles.

When to Consider Omitting Latin Honors

Flip side: if you have a decade of quant-heavy banking wins or you’re a creative director squeezing achievements into one page, Latin laurels can feel like grandma’s postcard - sweet but space-hungry.

Omit honors when professional impact eclipses academics, the credential is unfamiliar in your industry (e.g. hands-on trades), or the resume layout is already bursting.

The NACE report mentioned above also noted that 62% of employers now emphasize skills over academic metrics, underscoring the shift.

Geographic Considerations for Different Markets

Use white space judiciously: one line for the degree, second line for honors and GPA if relevant.

Section Prioritization and Resume Flow

• For academic or legal paths, maintain Education above Experience indefinitely.
• Use a separate Honors section when awards exceed three lines.
• Anchor each section with consistent typography - same font family, smaller size than headings.
• If space tightens, drop older or redundant accolades before core skills.

This sequencing prevents cognitive whiplash for hiring managers skimming in 6-second bursts.

Not a visual thinker? Imagine two mock-ups: Version A shows summa inline; Version B pushes it into a sidebar honors block.

Try both and pick the one that surfaces your best evidence fastest.

How to Format and Write Latin Honors Properly

Correct Formatting Rules and Typography

If you remember nothing else, remember this: latin honors are lowercase and often italicized.

Monster’s resume style guide says to write “summa cum laude,” not “Summa Cum Laude,” and to avoid bolding unless the whole degree line is bold.

Writing Latin Honors with Your Degree Information

Here’s a paint-by-numbers approach:

1. Start with degree: B.A. in Economics.
2. Add comma + honor in italics: , cum laude.
3. Finish with institution and year: , University of Michigan, 2025.
4. If space permits, put GPA in parentheses: (GPA 3.74/4.0).

Your finished line reads:
‍B. A. in Economics, magna cum laude, University of Michigan, 2025 (GPA 3.85).

Adding Context and Descriptive Details

When recruiters are unfamiliar with your university’s scale, context helps.

You might append “Top 5% of class” or “Thesis awarded departmental distinction.”

Just keep it short - one parenthetical or a pipe separator works: summa cum laude | Top 1%.

Common Formatting Mistakes to Avoid

• Capitalizing the first letters (Summa Cum Laude).
• Leaving the phrase un-italicized when the rest of the line is.
• Placing honors on a separate line when space is scarce.
• Repeating Dean’s List next to Latin honors (redundant).

Fix these slip-ups and the honor reads polished, not pretentious.

Before / After Examples

❌ Needs Work:
B.S. Computer Science (SUMMA CUM LAUDE)
Univ. of Texas – 2024

✅ Corrected:
B.S. in Computer Science, summa cum laude
University of Texas at Austin, 2024

Notice how subtle tweaks - lowercase, italics, full institution name - turn “shouting” into sophistication.

Specific Guidelines for Different Types of Latin Honors

Picture your diploma like a three-tiered cake: cum is the base layer, magna the butter-cream middle, and summa the show-stopping topper dusted with gold.

Below are chef’s notes for serving each slice on a resume without giving recruiters a sugar rush.

How to List Cum Laude on Your Resume

Cum laude (“with honor”) usually signals a GPA around 3.5-3.69 at U.S. universities such as the University of Tennessee.

Because it’s the most common tier, keep it concise (right after the degree:)

‍B.A. History, cum laude

If your school bases honors on class rank, add context - “Top 25% of cohort” - so employers grasp the bar you cleared, as suggested by Investopedia’s overview.

Magna Cum Laude Presentation Strategies

Because magna nudges into the upper 10% of the class, give it subtle emphasis - italics plus a quick qualifier:

‍magna cum laude | GPA 3.82.

The University of Michigan Ross School reserves “high distinction” for GPAs above 3.8, so mirroring that language (“Graduated with high distinction”) can resonate with non-Latin audiences while keeping the gravitas.

If you’re short on space, bolding your degree and italicising the honor draws the eye without hogging characters.

Summa Cum Laude & Highest Honors

This is résumé rocket fuel - often the top 1-5% of the graduating class and/or a GPA over 3.9.

The classic format pairs it with a punchy percentile: summa cum laude (Top 1%).

‍Summa stands out on its own, but elite programs sometimes add faculty approval or thesis accolades, as noted in Investopedia’s comparison of honor tiers. If you earned departmental or university-wide awards, consider a dedicated “Honors” section so summa doesn’t crowd the education line.

Multiple Latin Honors & Degree-Specific Considerations

• Dual degrees, different honors – Stack them: one line per degree, each with its own honor.
• Graduate vs. undergrad – List the highest academic level first; a master’s thesis “with distinction” outranks an older bachelor’s cum laude.
• Professional schools – Law and medicine rarely award Latin honors; highlight class rank or Order of the Coif instead.
• Separate fields – Use a brief parenthetical to keep context clear: “M.S. Chemical Eng., magna (Top 10%),” then “B.A. Spanish, cum laude.”

Best Practices for Writing “Graduated with Honors”

Not every campus speaks fluent Latin. When your alma mater DJs its own honor system, you still need a résumé beat that recruiters instantly recognize.

Here’s how we recommend translating the academic alphabet soup into plain-English bragging rights:

Alternative Honor Designations and Phrasing

Many institutions tag GPAs with phrases like “with distinction,” “with high distinction,” or simply “graduated with honors.”

For instance, the Michigan Ross MBA bulletin reserves “high distinction” for the top ~10%.

North of the border, the University of Ottawa uses a numeric scale - 8.0+ earns magna cum laude or “with great distinction.”

Mirror the exact phrasing your transcript shows, then add a Latin equivalent in parentheses if it clarifies prestige.

Combining Latin Honors with Other Academic Achievements

Recruiters now scan for outcomes, not ornamental flourishes: only 37–40% of employers still filter by GPA according to NACE’s Job Outlook 2024.

So weave honors into higher-impact bullets - e.g.,

‍“Capstone project won departmental award; graduated magna.”

Linking honors to deliverables shows value beyond raw numbers. A 2024 LinkedIn Talent study found 90% of executives prize soft skills over pedigree; pairing honors with leadership scholarships or Phi Beta Kappa spots ticks both boxes.

GPA Inclusion Guidelines & Decision Tree

Here's a simple checklist you can use as a litmus test to decide if you should list your GPA:

Should you list your GPA?

1. GPA > 3.7? Yes → Add alongside honors.
2. GPA 3.3-3.69? Industry academic-leaning (finance, research)? List. If not, skip.
3. GPA < 3.3? Omit unless job ad demands it.
4. More than 3 years’ experience? Hide GPA unless it’s >3.9.
5. Regional norms? U.S. and Canada care most; U.K. and Australia stress degree class instead.

This flow reflects NACE’s finding that only 38% of employers screen by GPA and a third have moved to skills-first hiring.

International Academic Honors Translation

If you suspect confusion, list the local term first and the Latin “translation” in italics:

“First-Class Honours (summa cum laude).”

Resume Examples and Professional Templates

You’ve got the honors; now let’s pin them to paper.

Below are quick blueprints you can steal, tweak and ship before your coffee cools.

Entry-Level Graduate Resume Examples

Steal this minimalist snippet (borrowed from Harvard’s résumé guide):
‍
EDUCATION
B.S. Computer Science, summa cum laude | May 2025 | Harvard University, Cambridge, MA |(GPA 3.97/4.0)

Note the one-line rule: degree → honor → date → GPA.

Harvard’s career office recommends keeping education within two lines to maximize early-career real estate.

Career-Change & Industry-Specific Applications

Pivoting from teaching to UX? Shift honors into an “Education & Credentials” sidebar so hiring managers first see your design certificates.

Forbes’ career column stresses trimming academic fluff for mid-career pivots, focusing instead on transferable wins.

If you’re moving into academia or law, do the opposite - elevate honors above experience because credentialing is currency.

Regional Resume Format Variations

In the U.K., a two-page CV is normal; list “First-Class Honours” under the degree and drop GPA entirely, per Prospects’ CV guide.

In Canada, The University of Ottawa warns Canadian legal résumés to exclude photos and stick to one page - honors belong beside the degree, not in bullet points. (UOttawa guide)

Australian CVs tolerate more detail; placing “First-Class Honours (85%)” under education meets UTS’s classification norms.

Key Takeaways

• Know the tiers. Cum laude, magna cum laude, and summa cum laude map roughly to 3.5-3.69, 3.7-3.89, and 3.9+ GPAs; some schools use class rank (UW puts summa in the top 0.5%).
• Lead with it early. Fewer than 40% of employers still screen by GPA, so listing honors stays a fast tie-breaker for recent grads and career-changers.
• Inline is prime. Place the honor right after the degree in lowercase italics - e.g., “B.S. Chemistry, magna cum laude” - as Berkeley Law advises.
• Create an “Honors & Awards” block. If you have three-plus accolades, spin them off so your Education line stays tweet-length.
• Retire it when work speaks louder. NACE’s data show employers shifting to skills-first hiring; after ~3 years or in results-driven roles, the Latin can go.
• GPA rules of thumb. Flaunt ≥ 3.7; list 3.3-3.69 only in academic-leaning fields; skip entirely under 3.3.
• Translate globally. Use local equivalents like “First-Class Honours (summa)” in the UK to keep recruiters from guessing.
• Add quick context. Parentheticals such as “Top 1%” clarify unfamiliar cut-offs for recruiters at a glance.
• Dual degrees, dual lines. List each degree separately with its own honor to keep hierarchy crystal clear.
• Avoid rookie errors. Don’t capitalize the Latin, skip italics, duplicate Dean’s List, or banish honors to their own lonely line.

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