what is cum laude gpa

Cum laude is an academic honor that usually corresponds to about a 3.5–3.7 GPA on a 4.0 scale, but the exact cutoff depends on your school’s rules.

What “cum laude” GPA usually means

• Most colleges set cum laude somewhere in the 3.5–3.7 cumulative GPA range.

• It’s typically given to roughly the top 25–35% of the graduating class, not the absolute top few students.

• The phrase is Latin for “with honor” or “with praise,” and it’s the first/lowest tier of the Latin honors system (above that are magna cum laude and summa cum laude).

But there’s no single universal cutoff

Each university – and sometimes each college within a university – can set its own GPA thresholds and may also mix in class rank or extra requirements like thesis work.

Some examples of how schools decide:

• Fixed GPA cutoff (e.g., “3.5+ earns cum laude”)
• Class-rank based (e.g., “top 30% of the class earn cum laude”), which means the exact GPA cutoffs can shift year to year

So if you want the precise number for your situation, check your college’s catalog, graduation/registrar page, or honors policy—those will list the official cum laude GPA band and any extra rules.