Latin Honors, Explained: How QPI Connects to Academic Honors

If you’ve heard classmates talk about graduating “cum laude” or “with honors,” you’ve encountered Latin honors — academic distinctions many universities award to graduates who meet certain standards, QPI among them.

What are Latin honors?

Latin honors are tiered distinctions, most commonly:

• Cum laude (“with praise”)
• Magna cum laude (“with great praise”)
• Summa cum laude (“with highest praise”)

Each tier typically requires a progressively higher cumulative QPI, though the exact terminology, tier count, and thresholds are set independently by each university.

QPI is usually necessary, but rarely sufficient

A minimum cumulative QPI is a common requirement, but most honors policies layer on additional conditions, such as:

• A minimum residency period at the institution (you can’t transfer in for your final term and qualify)
• No failing or specific low grades on your record
• Completion within a standard timeframe
• Good academic standing / no major disciplinary issues

This means two students with the identical QPI could have different honors outcomes if one of them doesn’t meet a non-QPI requirement.

We don’t publish specific university thresholds here

Because exact QPI cutoffs for honors are set — and periodically revised — by each university’s own academic policy, we intentionally avoid stating specific numbers as fact on this site. If you’re trying to figure out whether you’re on track for honors at your school, the most reliable path is:

1. Check your official student handbook or academic catalog
2. Confirm with your registrar or college secretary’s office
3. Re-check periodically, since policies can be revised between cohorts

For an Ateneo-specific discussion framed around these same general concepts, see our Ateneo Honors QPI page, or start from the basics in our complete guide to QPI if you’re not yet sure how the underlying number is calculated.

Track your QPI as you go

Whatever your target, the first step is knowing your current number. Use our QPI Calculator each term to track your cumulative QPI and see exactly how new grades will move it.