What does cum laude, magna cum laude & summa cum laude mean?

What does cum laude, magna cum laude & summa cum laude mean?

Cum laude, magna cum laude and summa cum laude are designations used when high-grade students pass their final exam. Cum laude means “with honors” and is used in high schools, universities and some colleges. Magna cum laude means “with great praise” and summa cum laude means “with the highest praise”. These allocations are used on degrees awarded by universities and some colleges. Despite the fact that cum laude, magna and summa cum laude are well-known concepts, it is unknown to many what the exact meaning is and what the rules of use are.

Cum laude

The predicate cum laude comes from Latin and means ‘with distinction’ (cum = met en laus = praise). The predicate is awarded to diplomas of above-average students from universities and some colleges. Cum laude is also used for students who obtain their doctorate at an excellent level. In the Netherlands, approximately 10% of the diplomas obtained at a university or university of applied sciences are awarded with the distinction cum laude. There are no laws on graduating cum laude. Colleges and universities may decide for themselves whether and when they allow students to graduate cum laude. The rules about graduating cum laude are often described in their Teaching and Examination Regulations (OER). Different rules therefore apply per college or university. It is often the case that the average mark must be at least 8.0, and that no mark in the list of marks may be lower than 7.0. In addition, no resit may have been used, and the mark of the thesis must also be at least 8.0. The term cum laude is assigned to both undergraduate and graduate degrees. Again: the rules about the awarding of the distinction cum laude may differ per educational institution.

Awarded high school honors

Since the 2015-2016 school year, the designation cum laude has also been used in secondary schools. The basis for this is also that the average mark is at least 8.0. The arithmetic test and the combination mark * count towards the calculation of the average mark. There is one exception: for all VMBO learning paths other than the theoretical and mixed learning path, the combined mark and the arithmetic test are not included in the calculation of the average mark. In addition to an average of at least 8.0, VWO students must only have grades of 7.0 or higher. Finally, HAVO or VMBO students must, in addition to the average mark of at least 8.0, only have marks of 6.0 or higher to obtain the cum laude distinction.

* The combination mark is an average mark from various components, which differ per school. The profile workpiece is often one of the parts.

Magna and summa cum laude

The terms magna cum laude and summa cum laude are Latin. Magna cum laude means ‘with great praise’, and summa cum laude means ‘with the highest praise’. These allocations are used on graduate degrees from universities and some colleges. There are no general rules for the use of the predicates. Universities and universities of applied sciences may therefore decide for themselves when to graduate someone magna cum laude or summa cum laude. The rules for awarding magna or summa cum laude are described in the Teaching and Examination Regulations (OER).

Frequently used rules for awarding magna and summa cum laude

Despite the fact that no general rules have been laid down for the award of magna and summa cum laude, there are rules that are most commonly used. When magna cum laude is awarded, the average mark is usually at least 8.5, and that the mark has in any case been obtained on the thesis. In addition, no resit may have been used, and the individual marks must all be at least 7.0. Summa cum laude is the highest award and is often used when the average mark is at least 9.0, and the mark of the thesis is at least 9.0. In addition, a resit may not have been used for any of the courses passed and the grades of all individual courses must be 7.0 or higher.

Prevent magna and summa cum laude graduation

Where 10% of the students graduate cum laude, magna or summa cum laude graduation is even less common. Graduating summa cum laude is rare. When it occurs, it is often a newsworthy event. For example, de Volkskrant reported in 2011 that the designation summa cum laude was awarded for the first time to a diploma from a Groningen student. In addition, in 2015 the AD published an article about a student who received no fewer than two master’s degrees with distinction; one with cum laude, the other with summa cum laude.

Overview: the most common rules for awarding cum laude, magna and summa cum laude

When universities and universities of applied sciences work with the predicates cum laude, magna cum laude and summa cum laude as an award to graduated students, these are the rules that are often used: