Honors and Awards

Graduation Honors

If students maintain a record of exceptional achievement during the duration of their degree program at New York University, they may be recognized with a Latin Honors or University Honors Scholar designation upon graduation. Students may also be eligible for other school-determined honors and awards upon graduation, for which additional information can be found in the school bulletin

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University Honors Scholars

Upon reaching graduation as a top-ranking Baccalaureate candidate or graduate at New York University, students will be bestowed the title of University Honors Scholar and presented with the NYU Founders’ Day Award. Notification of this honor will be sent via email on April 21, Founders’ Day. Recipients of this distinction will receive a gold tassel to be worn during Commencement and a personalized certificate. Graduates can collect their gold tassel and personalized certificate alongside their Commencement attire. Qualifying with the minimum GPA based on spring semester grades will result in the retroactive awarding of this honor, and recipients will receive their tassel and certificate following Commencement. These items will be mailed in mid-summer to the permanent address listed in NYU Albert. 

Please note: The University Honors Scholar and Founders’ Day Award are separate and distinct from Latin Honors, each with different criteria. Qualification for one does not guarantee qualification for the other.

Latin Honors

Students who achieve a high cumulative grade point average (GPA) and complete the minimum number of credits required by their respective school will be eligible for Latin Honors. Latin Honors thresholds are school-specific. For all students except those attending NYU Abu Dhabi, the GPA cutoffs are determined by the combined GPA distribution from the preceding academic year within the respective school. For instance, if graduating during the academic year from September 2021 to May 2022, the GPA cutoff for summa cum laude will be based on the top 5% of GPAs from graduates in September 2020, January 2021, and May 2021. NYU Abu Dhabi students’ Latin honors are determined by a different set of cumulative GPA cutoffs.

Summa cum laude

Qualification for this honor is achieved with a GPA within the top 5% of the previous year’s graduating class.

NYU Abu Dhabi students are awarded this honor based on the top 5% of the graduating class in each division.

Magna cum laude

Qualification for this honor is achieved with a GPA within the next 10% of the previous year’s graduating class.

NYU Abu Dhabi students are awarded this honor based on the next 10% of the graduating class in each division.

Cum laude

Qualification for this honor is achieved with a GPA within the next 15% of the previous year’s graduating class.

NYU Abu Dhabi students are awarded this honor based on the next 15% of the graduating class in each division.

Please note:

  • Only courses applicable to the degree are used in calculating GPA.

  • Grades received in courses taken at other institutions are not included.

  • Courses taken at other schools and colleges at NYU may be excluded from the GPA calculation per the policy of the program.

Residency Requirements for Latin Honors

Each school or college at New York University has its own set of credit requirements for students to be considered for Latin Honors within their programs. Refer to a student’s school or college to determine the specific requirements for eligibility.