How to Put Summa Cum Laude on a Resume (With Examples)

Graduating summa cum laude is the highest Latin honor for most colleges. But a great honor can look sloppy if it is capitalized wrong, hidden on its own line or listed years after it stopped mattering. This guide explains what summa cum laude means, how to list education on a resume, exactly how to show summa cum laude on your resume and when to leave it off.

What Does Summa Cum Laude Mean?

Summa cum laude is Latin for "with highest praise," often translated "with highest honor." It is the top of three Latin honors awarded for undergraduate degrees.

There is no national standard for what earns each tier. Each school sets its own rule using a GPA floor, a class-rank percentile or both. The differences are large:

• Ohio State sets summa at a 3.90 GPA.
• University of Connecticut requires a 3.7 GPA and the 95th percentile within the school or college.
• Harvard College published a 3.989 GPA cutoff for summa in May 2025, with summa capped at 5% of the class.
• Middlebury College moved to pure percentiles in 2025: top 2% for summa, with no GPA floor.
• Stanford does not award Latin honors at all.

You will often see "GPA 3.9 to 4.0, top 1% to 5%" quoted as typical for summa. Treat it as a rough pattern. The rule that applies to you is the one your registrar publishes and your transcript shows.

Summa Cum Laude on Your Resume: Should You Include It?

If you earned it, list it, at least early in your career. It is conferred by your school and can be checked against your transcript, which gives it weight.

Include it when:

• You are a recent graduate with limited work experience.
• You are applying to graduate school, fellowships or research roles.
• You work in fields that screen on academic pedigree, such as law, finance, consulting or academia.
• You are changing careers and want to show you can excel in a new area.

Leave it off when:

• You have about ten or more years of experience, and your work history speaks louder.
• Your field values portfolios and hands-on skills more than grades, such as creative work, trades or many startups. In practical roles, hiring managers care far more about proven impact, such as using another word for problem solving on a resume to show how you tackled operational obstacles.
• You are short on space, and a certification or measurable result would add more.

How to List Education on a Resume

Before adding an honor, get the education section itself right. Along with academic honors, learning how to list a promotion on your resume is essential if you want to highlight progression and professional growth.

• Include: degree, major, school name, location and graduation date.
• Order: reverse chronological, with your most recent degree first.
• Position: near the top if you are a recent graduate. Below work experience once your professional record is stronger.
• GPA: optional. A common rule is to include it only when it is 3.5 or higher, or when the employer asks.
• Degrees in progress: write "Expected May 2027."
• High school: leave it off once you have college education.

Template:

How to Put Summa Cum Laude on Your Resume, Step by Step

1. Check your transcript - Use the exact wording your school conferred.
2. Put it on the degree line - Add a comma after the degree and write the honor.
3. Write the full phrase - "Summa cum laude," not "summa" or an abbreviation. There is no accepted abbreviation.
4. Use lowercase - It is a foreign phrase, not a proper noun.
5. Choose your style and stay consistent - See italics below.
6. Add context only if needed - A short note such as "top 5% of class" can help if your school's cutoffs are unfamiliar.

Capitalization and Italics

• Capitalization is settled - Write "summa cum laude," not "Summa Cum Laude" and never all caps. The one exception is a section heading such as "Honors and Awards," which follows your heading style.
• Italics are optional - Sources disagree. Some career sites recommend italics, while several university and AP-based style guides prefer plain type. Neither choice is likely to hurt you. Plain type is the safer default because it survives copying into application forms that strip formatting. Whichever you choose, apply it consistently across the page.

How to List Cum Laude on a Resume (and Magna Cum Laude)

The format is identical for all three honors. Put the honor after the degree name on the same line.

• Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, cum laude
• Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, magna cum laude
• Bachelor of Arts in Economics, summa cum laude

Where tiers differ is in how much support you add. For magna and cum laude, include your GPA only when it sits comfortably above your school's cutoff. A number sitting right on the threshold invites questions the honor already answered. For summa, the honor usually stands alone.

Where to Put It

Keep the honor on the same line as the degree so it stays clearly attached to it, even when a resume is converted to plain text. Once your degree entry is clean, review your work experience bullets for weak verbs and consider another word for provided on a resume to elevate your achievements.

Summa Cum Laude Resume Examples

Example 1: Recent graduate

Why it works: The honor is inline, the GPA reinforces it and the thesis adds substance.

Example 2: Experienced professional

Why it works: The education section is short and sits below work experience. The GPA is dropped because the work record now carries the case.

Example 3: Double major, one degree

Why it works: A double major is still one degree, so the honor appears once.

Example 4: Two degrees

Why it works: Each degree has its own entry. The master's line carries no Latin honor because it was not awarded.

Example 5: A school that does not use Latin honors

Why it works: It uses the school's own wording. Do not translate it into Latin.

Fix Common Mistakes

Before:

After:

What changed: Lowercase, inline with the degree, and the redundant Dean's List removed.

Combining Summa Cum Laude with GPA and Dean's List

• GPA well above your school's cutoff: keep it if it adds information.
• GPA close to the cutoff: show the honor only.
• Dean's List: it is a per-semester recognition and a Latin honor is cumulative. After graduation, the honor usually makes Dean's List redundant. If you made it every eligible semester, you can mention that.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Capitalizing it: "Summa Cum Laude" or all caps.
2. Listing a higher honor than you received - Transcript checks are routine, and upgrading is a serious misrepresentation. Rehearse speaking honestly and confidently about your academic honors and thesis projects using a mock AI interviewer before your formal screen.
3. Inventing Latin honors at a school that does not award them.
4. Abbreviated to "SCL" or just "summa."
5. Putting it on its own line, away from the degree.
6. Leaving it in the professional summary after you have work experience.
7. Converting international honors. If you hold a UK First-Class Honours degree, write that. No official conversion to U.S. Latin honors exists.

When to Take Summa Cum Laude Off Your Resume

Early on, it is a strong signal. As your career grows, it matters less.

• First 2-3 years: list it prominently.
• Years 3-5: keep the honor, drop the GPA and move education below experience.
• Years 6-10: keep it only if your field values pedigree.
• 10+ years: list the degree, major, school and year. Drop the honor.

Exceptions: keep it longer if you work in or apply to academia, law, research or fellowships.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does summa cum laude mean?

It is Latin for "with highest praise" or "with highest honor." It is the top Latin honor awarded at graduation, set by each school's own GPA or class-rank rules.

Is summa cum laude capitalized on a resume?

No. Write it in lowercase: summa cum laude. Avoid title case and all caps.

Do I italicize summa cum laude?

It is optional. Plain type is the safer default because it survives plain-text forms, but italics are acceptable. Choose one style and keep it consistent.

Is there an abbreviation for summa cum laude?

No. Write the full three-word phrase every time.

Should I list my GPA with summa cum laude?

Usually not needed. Include it if it is high, if the employer asks, or if you are applying to graduate school.

How do I list cum laude on a resume if my school does not award Latin honors?

Use your school's own wording, such as "with Distinction" or "with Honors," and place it in the same spot on the degree line. Do not invent a Latin honor.

Can I list summa cum laude for a master's degree?

Usually no. Latin honors are mainly undergraduate. For graduate degrees, list the distinction your program actually awarded, such as an honor society or "with Distinction."

How long should I keep summa cum laude on my resume?

Keep it prominent for your first few years, then drop it after roughly five to ten years unless you work in academia, law or research.