Graduation with Honors Policy
(Effective August 1, 2016)
To be eligible for graduation honors, a student must graduate with a cumulative grade point average of not less than 3.50. Honors are awarded at three levels:
- Summa Cum Laude—meaning “with the highest praise” is the highest distinction awarded at graduation. To graduate summa cum laude, a student must achieve a 3.90 or higher grade point average
- Magna Cum Laude—meaning “with great praise” is the second highest distinction awarded at graduation. To qualify for magna cum laude, a student must achieve a 3.70–3.89 grade point average
- Cum Laude—meaning “with praise” is the third distinction awarded at graduation. To qualify for cum laude, a student must achieve a 3.50–3.69 grade point average
To be eligible for graduation with honors, a Carroll undergraduate student must have completed at least 60 semester hours of course work at Carroll College. The required cumulative grade point average will be calculated from all courses attempted at Carroll; for postbaccalaureate students pursuing a second bachelor's degree at Carroll, only the grades earned during the second degree program will be included.
Graduation honors are announced at Commencement. Please keep in mind that the Commencement booklet is printed many weeks before final spring grades are submitted. Therefore, the academic marks that will be used to determine graduation with honors or graduation with distinction for Commencement are a student's grade point average and completed credits at the conclusion of the most recent fall semester.