Undergraduate Honors
UC Santa Cruz awards several honors for outstanding academic achievement. Dean’s Honors are awarded quarterly, and University Honors (Summa cum laude, Magna cum laude, and Cum laude) are awarded at graduation. These honors are in addition to the long-standing Department Honors awarded to students at graduation. These honors began being awarded fall 2008; they are not awarded retroactively. However, if a student’s record has changed after graduation, so that the student no longer meets the criteria for honors, the honors will be removed.
Dean’s Honors
Full-time students will be eligible for quarterly Dean’s Honors if they have earned a minimum of 12 credits that quarter, of which at least 10 are graded, with a term grade point average equal to or higher than that required for University Honors at graduation in their group for the current academic year. Students on the University Part-Time Program are eligible with 10 or fewer graded credits, with a term grade point average equal to or higher than that required for University Honors at graduation in their group for the current academic year. Dean’s Honors are listed on student transcripts.
The notation “Dean’s Honors” appears on official and unofficial transcripts, for each qualifying term. They can also be seen in the My.UCSC portal, in the Student Advising Summary’s Statistics tab.
Note: GPA thresholds for Baskin Engineering majors are calculated separately from those of majors in all other divisions.
See Honors Criteria for qualifying GPAs by graduation term.
Honors at Graduation
Honors at graduation are awarded by the university and by the separate majors based on a review of their graduates’ academic records. In general, honors are limited to 15 percent of the graduating class. University Honors are based on the cumulative UC GPA. Faculty review of major honors may involve additional criteria.
University Honors
To be considered for University Honors at graduation, students must have completed 70 or more credits at the University of California and have attained in their group* a UC GPA that places them in the rankings as follows: Summa Cum Laude, top 2 percent; Magna Cum Laude, next 3 percent; Cum Laude, next 10 percent. Each year and for each group, the registrar will calculate the GPA thresholds required for these levels of University Honors, based on the GPAs of recent graduates. The notation “University Honors” will appear on the diploma and transcript.
* Note: GPA thresholds for Baskin Engineering majors are calculated separately from those of majors in all other divisions.
See Honors Criteria for qualifying GPAs by graduation term.
Honors Criteria: Grade Point Averages by Term
Grade Point Average Criteria are based on the grade point averages of the top percentages of recent graduates, as follows:
- Summa Cum Laude: Top 2%
- Magna Cum Laude: Top 5%
- Cum Laude: Top 15%
Qualifying GPAs by term:
| Quarters |
School |
Summa cum laude |
Magna cum laude |
Cum laude |
Dean's Honors |
| Fall 2023-Summer 2024 |
School of Engineering |
3.970 |
3.920 |
3.800 |
3.800 |
| Fall 2023-Summer 2024 |
Divisions |
3.980 |
3.950 |
3.860 |
3.860 |
2023
Fall 2022-Summer |
School of Engineering |
3.950 |
3.930 |
3.800 |
3.800 |
2023
Fall 2022-Summer |
Divisions |
3.980 |
3.940 |
3.830 |
3.830 |
2022
Fall 2021-Summer |
School of Engineering |
3.95 |
3.88 |
3.74 |
3.740 |
2022
Fall 2021-Summer |
Divisions |
3.97 |
3.92 |
3.80 |
3.80 |
2021
Fall 2020-Summer |
School of Engineering |
3.920 |
3.830 |
3.650 |
3.65 |
2021
Fall 2020-Summer |
Divisions |
3.950 |
3.900 |
3.740 |
3.740 |
| Fall 2019 - Summer 2020 |
School of Engineering |
3.920 |
3.850 |
3.730 |
3.730 |
| Fall 2019 - Summer 2020 |
Divisions |
3.950 |
3.880 |
3.730 |
3.730 |
| Fall 2018 - Summer 2019 |
School of Engineering |
3.930 |
3.850 |
3.670 |
3.670 |
| Fall 2018 - Summer 2019 |
Divisions |
3.940 |
3.870 |
3.710 |
3.710 |
| Fall 2017 - Summer 2018 |
School of Engineering |
3.920 |
3.820 |
3.640 |
3.640 |
| Fall 2017 - Summer 2018 |
Divisions |
3.920 |
3.830 |
3.660 |
3.660 |
| Fall 2016 - Summer 2017 |
School of Engineering |
3.910 |
3.840 |
3.650 |
3.670 |
| Fall 2016 - Summer 2017 |
Divisions |
3.940 |
3.850 |
3.660 |
3.710 |
| Fall 2015 - Summer 2016 |
School of Engineering |
3.920 |
3.840 |
3.650 |
3.650 |
|
Fall 2015 - Summer 2016
|
Divisions
|
3.920
|
3.830
|
3.650
|
3.650
|
| Fall 2014 - Summer 2015 |
School of Engineering |
3.87 |
3.80 |
3.57 |
3.57 |
| Fall 2014 - Summer 2015 |
Divisions |
3.93 |
3.87 |
3.69 |
3.69 |
|
Fall 2013 - Summer 2014
|
School of Engineering
|
3.91
|
3.80
|
3.64
|
3.64
|
|
Fall 2013 - Summer 2014
|
Divisions
|
3.92
|
3.84
|
3.67
|
3.67
|
|
Fall 2012 - Summer 2013
|
School of Engineering
|
3.98
|
3.86
|
3.63
|
3.63
|
|
Fall 2012 - Summer 2013
|
Divisions
|
3.92
|
3.84
|
3.65
|
3.65
|
|
Fall 2011 - Summer 2012
|
School of Engineering
|
3.88
|
3.83
|
3.60
|
3.60
|
|
Fall 2011 - Summer 2012
|
Divisions
|
3.91
|
3.84
|
3.64
|
3.64
|
|
Fall 2010 - Summer 2011
|
School of Engineering
|
3.85
|
3.77
|
3.55
|
3.55
|
|
Fall 2010 - Summer 2011
|
Divisions
|
3.92
|
3.84
|
3.67
|
3.67
|
|
Fall 2009 - Summer 2010
|
School of Engineering
|
3.94
|
3.75
|
3.53
|
3.53
|
|
Fall 2009 - Summer 2010
|
Divisions
|
3.91
|
3.83
|
3.65
|
3.65
|
|
Fall 2008 - Summer 2009
|
School of Engineering
|
3.91
|
3.68
|
3.54
|
3.54
|
|
Fall 2008 - Summer 2009
|
Divisions
|
3.91
|
3.84
|
3.65
|
3.65
|
Revised: 8/6/25
Honors in the Major
At graduation, the department sponsoring a student’s major program may confer Honors or Highest Honors in the major. This notation appears on the transcript as well as on the diploma. In general, no more than 15 percent of the graduation class in a major will be awarded Honors at graduation.
Deadlines
To ensure consideration for honors in the major, students should apply to graduate by the Registrar’s deadline.
Any student who has a reportable disciplinary sanction for a violation of academic integrity policies may be ineligible for any honors designation, at the discretion of the agency that awards the designation.