• Cum laude: 3.5 or higher
• Magna cum laude: 3.75 or higher
• Summa cum laude: 3.9 or higher with no grades less than an A-

NOTE: Certificate and Graduate programs are not eligible for GPA honors. 

A cumulative "honors GPA" is calculated by combining all college work attempted at UAF, as well as, all college coursework attempted at any other institutions a student attended.

Graduating with honors is a tribute that recognizes academic achievement and represents a student's entire academic history.  Below 100-level and 500-level coursework are removed from your UAF GPA calculation. Also, any excluded classes (including "D" and  "F" grades, retaken courses, courses lost in Fresh Start, etc.) from UAF, and any other institution the student attended, are calculated back into a student's GPA in order to generate an honors GPA.

Transfer Students

Students who have coursework outside of UAF, and wish to be considered for honors, must additionally meet the following criteria:

• Have at least a 3.5 cumulative UAF GPA
• UAF resident credit of 48 semester hours for a bachelor's degree
• UAF resident credit of 24 semester hours for an associates degree

Note: your "honors GPA" does not appear on any official documentation

Associate and baccalaureate degree students, who graduate with honors in Summer, Fall, or Spring, will receive gold honors cords to wear at the May commencement ceremony.

In addition, the names of students receiving honors will appear in the Commencement Program, and are released to the media (with exception to students who have placed a directory hold on their account). Students may submit a written request to Graduation Services asking that their graduation information not be printed or released to the media.

Final grades will be verified prior to noting final graduation honors on the diploma or the official transcript (see Note to Spring Graduates).

The May commencement ceremony occurs prior to the deadline for Spring semester final grades.  

When calculating honors for our Spring graduation candidates, who plan to walk in the commencement ceremony  graduates, Graduation Services assumes that a student will receive straight "A's" in all of their in progress coursework; thus allowing each student to recognized for the highest level of honors he or she has the potential of attaining. We call these potential honors.

These potential honors will be used to award gold honors cords at the commencement ceremony, and be listed in the official commencement program.

However, once final grades are posted, the final honors GPA will be calculated.
Final grades will have an effect on a student's honors GPA (should the student receive anything other than straight "A's"). Any change between potential honors and final honors will be reflected on the student's diploma and official transcripts.