Graduation with Honors

Latin Honors

Baccalaureate students can qualify for three levels of Latin Honors awarded at graduation:

• Summa cum laude (with highest distinction), awarded to students whose cumulative grade point average is at least 3.9
• Magna cum laude (with great distinction), awarded to students whose cumulative grade point average is at least 3.75
• Cum laude (with distinction), awarded to students whose cumulative grade point average is at least 3.5

This distinction will be noted on the student’s transcript. To be eligible for graduation with honors, a student must complete at least 56 credits at the College. Students who entered the College with an associate degree qualify for these honors with a minimum of 52 credits earned at the College. All courses and earned grades obtained at John Jay and elsewhere enter into the computation of the GPA.

The eligibility of students who transfer into John Jay from other college(s) for such important academic recognition as Latin Honors (summa, magna, cum laude), valedictorian and salutatorian status, and other graduation awards shall include their cumulative GPA at their previous college(s), which shall be averaged in with the grades they have earned at John Jay.

Honors in the Major

To qualify for honors in the major, a student must have completed the credit requirements for the major and have earned at least a 3.5 cumulative grade point average in courses above the 100-level in the major. Credit for courses required as prerequisites for major courses applied to the major will not be calculated into the major cumulative grade point average. Students must have also earned at least a 3.2 overall cumulative grade point average. This honor will be noted on the student’s transcript. Some majors have additional criteria to meet the requirements for honors in the major, consult the major page in this Undergraduate Bulletin.

Valedictorian and Salutatorian

The valedictorian and salutatorian for commencement exercises are chosen from among the June baccalaureate candidates and the graduates of the previous August, December, and February. The two students with the highest grade point averages who meet the eligibility requirements for Latin Honors are awarded these distinctions.

In the event of identical grade point averages, the students with the greatest number of credits earned at John Jay College (up to 120 credits) will be designated valedictorian and salutatorian. In the event that two students have identical grade point averages and have earned the same number of credits at the College (up to 120 credits), they will be declared co-valedictorians and no salutatorian will be designated. In the event that three or more students have identical grade point averages and have earned the same number of credits at the College (up to 120 credits), the valedictorian and salutatorian will be selected by the Committee on Undergraduate Honors, Prizes and Awards.