Cum laude is a Latin honor that recognizes academic excellence, but its level of recognition on the Common App is often misunderstood. Many students wonder whether cum laude should be listed as a school, state/regional, or national/international award.
When listing your cum laude honor on the Common App, you should select "school" as the level of recognition, rather than "national/international." The cum laude distinction is based on your performance compared to your peers at your specific high school, not on any national or international standards.
If you have already submitted applications listing cum laude as an international award, you may want to contact the colleges to correct this if you feel it’s necessary. For future applications, such as the UC system, be sure to list cum laude as a school-level award.
No, cum laude is not considered an international award, even though the Cum Laude Society has member schools around the world. While the society sets standards for academic excellence, the actual cum laude distinction is awarded at the school level.The Cum Laude Society has only a few member schools outside the U.S. (in Puerto Rico, Canada, Switzerland, the Philippines, France, England, and Spain), out of approximately 380 total member schools. Therefore, while the Cum Laude Society has an international presence, the cum laude honor itself is not recognized as an international award.
In addition to cum laude, you can include various other academic honors in the Common App Honors section:
Prioritizing your most impressive and competitive awards is essential. Don’t undersell yourself; any academic recognition is worth including.
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