Latin Honors at Vanderbilt - GPA Required?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Vanderbilt University
1

This subject comes up every year, especially for the Engineering students, who arguable have a much more difficult time achieving a high GPA than most other majors. I just spoke with the Vanderbilt Dean’s office (June 11, 2015) and learned the following:
1.) Latin honors are calculated for the entire undergraduate student body each year, regardless of which college or major the student is in. (Sorry, engineers!)
2.) The thresholds required to receive honors for the graduating classes of 2015 and 2016 are as follows:
Cum Laude - 3.724
Magna Sum Laude - 3.826
Summa Cum Laude - 3.915

2

With thresholds that high, sounds like Vanderbilt has turned into gunner land!

3

These GPAs reflect the top 25% of students from the previous graduating class.

4

I do think it’s kind of strange that they do it based on the entire graduating class. I doubt the GPA distributions are the same across the different schools. It just seems somewhat unfair to base it on the whole class if the schools don’t have the same distribution of grades. It is possible the distributions are similar, but I honestly doubt it.

5

Is there a written program at Commencement that lists engineering graduates, and that has an asterisk by the names who receive Latin Honors? That would be a way to determine the percentage of engineers who get Latin Honors.

6

Yes, the commencement program lists the Latin honor each graduate received. I certainly didn’t count but it was immediately clear that Blair and Peabody had an unusually high percentage of Latin honors. Engineering definitely appeared to be the lowest. I might actually count if I can find one lying around. Maybe there’s a digital copy, that’d be much easier.

EDIT: Sure enough, there is a digital copy.

7

Here’s the data. Sorted from highest to lowest total Greek honors. As suspected, Blair and Peabody are way ahead. Engineering at the bottom. Arts & Sciences pretty closely follows the intended distribution of 5%/8%/13%.

http://oi60.■■■■■■■.com/14mrmky.jpg

8

our vandyson missed magna by hundredths of a point. But they gotta cut it someplace. Also, heads up. There is a language requirement to Phi Beta Kappa our son didn’t comply with fully…I think there is an appeal he could have made re language substitutions-- but he didn’t appeal his eligibility. Each school had a medalist at graduation’s ceremony and I must say everyone seemed to be proud of them and to enjoy their accomplishments.