Congratulations! You’ve worked hard, received cum laude (or other Latin honors like magna or summa cum laude) and are applying for jobs. But how do you list cum laude on your resume?
Don’t worry too much: as long as you include cum laude (or other academic honors), you can’t really go wrong.
Time needed: 5 minutes.
Here’s how to include summa, magna or cum laude on your resume:
- Decide whether to include cum laude in your resume.
It’s never a mistake to list latin honors like cum laude on your resume. They show you can work hard and “play the game.” For employers, this means you’ll work hard at their role.
- Decide where to put cum laude on your resume.
Typically, this goes in the education section, either next to your degree or in a separate line with your GPA and other academic honors. You can also include a list of academic honors in the education section.
- Decide whether to include your GPA.
Definitely include your GPA if it’s high – if your school has a high threshold for cum laude honors, or if you were just below the cutoff for magna or summa cum laude.
- Make sure to format it correctly.
Don’t capitalize and of the words – it’s always lower-case: cum laude (with summa or magna, as well).
How to put cum laude on resume examples
You have a few options of where to list cum laude in your resume. The good news is, you can’t really make a mistake with where to put it.
Example 1: cum laude the education section, with your degree
Education
Dartmouth College, 2004 – 2008
Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology, magna cum laude
Example 2: cum laude in the education section, with your GPA
Education
Dartmouth College, 2004 – 2008
Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology
GPA: GPA: 3.84/4.0, magna cum laude
Example 3: Latin honors in the education section, alongside other academic honors and awards
Education
Dartmouth College, 2004 – 2008
Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology
Honors: magna cum laude, phi beta kappa (GPA: 3.84/4.0)
Example 4: A separate awards and honors section
Awards and honors
- Graduated magna cum laude, phi beta kappa
- Cumulative GPA of 3.84/4.00, 9 academic citations
- Choate scholar for top 5% of class for six semesters
- William S. Churchill prize for Freshman academics and service
Cum laude resume FAQ
Yes. It shows you work hard. There’s no situation where someone would think worse of a job applicant with academic honors.
All lower case letters, italicized (cum laude).
Honors like cum laude are generally more important to add than your GPA, unless your GPA is particularly high or required for a job you’re applying for.
If your GPA was extremely high (or there’s a big difference between your major and overall GPA), or if you were just near the cutoff for the next level of honors (i.e. GPA of 3.74, and you would have qualified for magna cum laude at 3.75), definitely include your GPA.
Nope – it’s pretty foolproof.
Other resources for applying to internships and jobs
- If you’re applying for tech jobs, you can see exactly what kinds of experiences hiring managers are looking for here.
- How to get any job with informational interviews.
- Here’s how to get jobs (and internships) at a career fair.
- How to get an internship after graduation.
- How to put Eagle Scout on your resume.
