Tips for Adding Cum Laude to Your Resume

Cum Laude on Resume

When you graduate, especially if you have a high GPA, you’ll likely receive specific academic honors. The most common type of honor you’ll see is the “cum laude,” which means, “With praise” or “With honors.” If you’re thinking about including cum laude on a resume, you’re not alone. It can be a great way to distinguish yourself from other job seekers. Not only does it show your work ethic, but it can improve the chances of your resume getting through applicant tracking systems (ATS) and moving your application to the top of the pile. Here’s what you need to know about including academic honors on your resume.

Different Types of Academic Honors

There are many different types of academic honors that you might want to include on your resume. The first is the cum laude. There are three tiers to this honor: cum laude, magna cum laude, and summa cum laude, meaning “With honor,” “With high honors,” and “With the highest honor.” These Latin phrases are extremely common in the U.S. and indicate that an individual graduated within a specific high percentage of their classmates. The second type of academic honor is any non-Latin honors that are awarded to specific people who excel academically in the school. This may be awarded during individual semesters or overall, and is often awarded based on cumulative GPA. This means that your grade point average needs to be at a specific level to receive these awards. This may include the Dean’s List, for example. The last type of common academic honor is membership in a specific prestigious organization that only allows people with a high GPA or generally great performance to join. This may include Phi Beta Kappa in the United States, for instance.