Approximately 20-30% of students graduate with honors (cum laude) from university. The number is lower in colleges that have strict requirements for choosing their honors students.
Many colleges don’t just pick the top students; they also look at the minimum GPA.
Graduating cum laude (with honor in Latin) means you have at least a 3.5 – 3.6 total GPA (grade point average) and a class rank in the 75th percentile or above.
Graduating magna cum laude (with great honor) means you have at least a 3.7 – 3.8 total GPA (grade point average) and a class rank in the 85th percentile or above. About 5-20% of students graduate magna cum laude.
Summa cum laude (with the highest honor) means you have a 3.9 – 4.0 total GPA and a class rank in the 95th percentile. Only 1-5% of students qualify for this honor.