Criteria for the Award of M.D. Degrees with Latin Honors

Among the awards for excellence of medical student achievement is the designation of the M.D. degree with Latin honors. A committee of the faculty, selected according to the bylaws of Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, reviews the academic record of each candidate for the M.D. degree. Policies approved by the faculty are used as the guidelines for selecting candidates for the honor cum laude, magna cum laude, and summa cum laude. These recommendations are then forwarded to the Dean of the Medical School and presented to the faculty for approval at its meeting in May.

The selection of students for the award of M.D degrees with Latin Honors is based on achievement in the required course work of the curriculum and results of the U.S. Licensing Medical Examination. Recorded grades in courses for the entire four-year curriculum are considered. Ten percent of awarded degrees are granted with the cum laude distinction. Three percent of awarded degrees are granted with magna cum laude, and the honor of summa cum laude is limited to one percent of awarded degrees.

The faculty appreciates the opportunity to acknowledge outstanding academic achievement through the University’s conferring of degrees with Latin honors, as one form for recognition of exceptional accomplishments of M.D. graduates.

For more information, contact the Honors Committee.
Committee Membership

[Updated April 2025]