How To Put Magna Cum Laude On A Resume (With Examples)

While your undergraduate GPA probably won’t matter much a few years out of college, it can let employers know some key things about you. After all, if you couldn’t work hard and make deadlines, you likely wouldn’t have finished all your homework or shown up to every quiz, making that impressive GPA hard to reach.

Doing well in school and graduating with distinction is not worth as much as experience or good recommendations a few years down the road, but it can help you stand out in the crowded job market, especially when you are a new graduate.

Key Takeaways:

• While they aren’t applicable to every job application, listing honors such as magna cum laude on your resume can help you stand out in certain situations.

• Magna cum laude indicates that you graduated with a certain GPA, usually 3.9 or higher, but the specific parameters can vary from school to school.

• There are specific formatting rules that need to be followed, like italicizing the Latin phrase magna cum laude when adding it to your resume.

How to Put Magna Cum Laude on Resume

Latin honors show that you graduated within a certain GPA range, as determined by your school. So should you add both your GPA and Latin honors to the resume?

You do not need to add both, but you can put your GPA in parentheses next to the grade distinction if you prefer. Decide what you think is most important.

When it comes to Latin honors like magna cum laude, there are certain rules you must follow.

1. Italicize the phrase magna cum laude. If you are referring to Latin phrases and texts, you have to write the words or phrases in italics.

2. Keep the phrase in lowercase. This rule might be harder to predict, but it is just as important: keep the Latin honors in lowercase letters.

3. Don’t add anything to the phrase. Finally, saying that you graduated magna cum laude is not correct. Keep it to magna cum laude.

The Meaning of Magna Cum Laude

Before you go adding a bunch of fancy italics to your resume, make sure you know the different classes of Latin honors — adding a Latin honor that is incorrect would likely do you more harm than good.

Here is the breakdown:

But note: Latin honors brackets can differ from school to school. Adding your GPA can clarify details, but note that a GPA of 3.0 and listing magna cum laude on a resume will appear fishy no matter where you went to school.

Should You Put Magna Cum Laude on a Resume?

Putting Latin honors like magna cum laude on your resume makes the most sense if you are a recent graduate with limited experience. Including it on your application for an entry-level role can really help you stand out.

In addition, if you’re applying for an academic role or especially a graduate program, magna cum laude is especially impressive.

If you do decide to add it to your resume, just remember: Follow the rules on how to write Latin honors out. Place the honors in your resume based on what you want to emphasize to employers. And most of all, don’t be redundant with all the honors and distinctions.

Where to Put Magna Cum Laude on a Resume

So you’re excited that all your hard work in school has paid off and you want to put it on your resume. Where you put magna cum laude on your resume really depends on what you are trying to emphasize.

1. Honors section for school achievements. If you are a decade or more out of school, you likely want to emphasize past jobs and skills. It’s unlikely you’ll have an honors section dedicated to school achievements.

2. Right underneath your degree. If you want to include your Latin honors on your resume but don’t want education to be the main focus, put it directly underneath your degree. This goes in your resume’s education section.

3. Awards and honors section. If you are just out of school and have a lot of academic honors and awards you want to note on your resume and don’t have much job experience, you likely will have a separate awards and honors section on your resume.

If you do have a separate awards and honors section, add your Latin honors there.

4. Mini awards and honors section for each degree. If you have several degrees from different institutions, you can have your education section separate from your honors and awards section, which may be a good approach if you have one degree.

However, if you have separate degrees, a more organized approach would be the Harvard Law school method: making mini awards and honors section below each degree.

Examples of Magna Cum Laude on a Resume

Let’s take a look at examples of resume sections with magna cum laude listed:

1. Example 1: In the Education Section

   Education

   University of Connecticut | May 2018
   Bachelor of Arts in English, magna cum laude

2. Example 2: Honors and Awards Section

   Honors and Awards

   • magna cum laude

   • Deans list all semesters

   • Student Council President

   • 3.97 cumulative GPA

3. Example 3: Below Degree

   Education

   Bachelor of Science in Chemistry
   University of Illinois | May 2019
   Honors: magna cum laude (GPA 3.94)

4. Example 4: Resume Summary Statement

   Dedicated Statistics major with proven actuarial abilities. Graduated magna cum laude, led the Student Acturial Club, and produced a risk report for UCONN’s administration. Increased efficiency of risk reports by 8% during internship with XYZ Insurance and developed new programs to automate generation of data analysis reports.

Final Thoughts and Tips

Although many people graduate college these days, not many graduates with Latin honors, especially magna cum laude. If you were able to snag that upper-level Latin honors on your way out of college, you want to hold onto it.

Adding Latin honors, especially magna cum laude, to your resume could give it the extra boost it needs to make you stand out among the crowd of job-seekers. Remember these final tips:

• If you’re a recent graduate, talking up your academic achievements here can look really good. Just be sure to tie in your academic experience to the job you’re applying for.

• Don’t forget your cover letter. If you really want to emphasize your academic excellence (and you’re a recent graduate without much formal work experience), talking up your magna cum laude in a cover letter can be a great call.

  Again, make sure you stay focused on tying your educational experience to the job you’re applying for. Make it easy for recruiters and hiring managers to see how your academic success will translate into professional success.

Magna Cum Laude Frequently Asked Questions

1. Do grades matter on job applications?

   Whether or not grades matter on job applications depends on your background and the job you’re applying for. If you’re looking for a position in the academic field such as teaching, tutoring, or grad school, your grades might be a relevant part of your application. Including Latin honors on your resume can help you stand out as a recent graduate.

2. Is it hard to graduate magna cum laude?

   Yes, it can be hard to graduate magna cum laude. Difficulty varies among different academic programs and degrees, but achieving the grades needed to receive magna cum laude distinction requires hard work and commitment.

3. Does adding magna cum laude to a resume look bad?

   No, adding magna cum laude doesn’t automatically look bad, but some employers may view it as unnecessary or “filler”. Tailor your application to the job you’re applying for, and research the employers you’re applying to. If it seems like magna cum laude would be irrelevant or that the employer wouldn’t be interested in it, leave it off.

Author

Heidi Cope

Heidi Cope is a former writer for the Zippia Career Advice blog. Her writing focused primarily on Zippia's suite of rankings and general career advice. After leaving Zippia, Heidi joined The Mighty as a writer and editor, among other positions. She received her BS from UNC Charlotte in German Studies.