Academic Honors
Dean's List | Latin Honors | Departmental Honors
Dean's List
A student achieves Dean's List standing for an academic year, which is defined as fall, winter, and spring term, by meeting the following requirements:
- An academic index of at least 3.50 for the year.
- At least three regular courses in each of the three terms, with no fewer than seven courses included in the index.
- No grades of "D" or "F".
A student who spends part of an academic year at the College may be declared a Dean's List student by the associate dean for undergraduate programs if extraordinary circumstances prevent full-time attendance or if the student is on a Union-sponsored term in industry or special Union-sponsored internship, has taken at least six courses for a grade, and the academic index for the courses taken is at least 3.50 with no grades of "D" or "F." Normally, such students would be expected to take eight courses at Union to qualify for Dean's List.
Students will be sent a letter notifying them of their qualification for Dean's List normally towards the end of July.
Latin Honors
Union College recognizes academic distinction by awarding some undergraduate degrees summa cum laude, magna cum laude, and cum laude, these Latin honors signifying various levels of the graduates' cumulative grade point averages. The faculty has the responsibility and authority for setting the levels necessary to attain the various honors. Standards are summa cum laude (3.80 or better), magna cum laude (3.65 or better), and cum laude (3.50 or better). To be eligible, students must have taken at least eighteen courses toward their undergraduate degree while enrolled at Union. Latin honors are calculated for graduating seniors at the end of the winter term. If a student's spring term grades elevate their gpa such that they qualify for the next higher level of honors, then a new diploma will be ordered upon receipt of the old one.
Departmental Honors
In general, students become eligible for departmental honors provided that they:
- have achieved a cumulative index of 3.3 or better;
- have an index of 3.3 or better in courses taken in the major with grades of 'A-' or better in at least three such courses; exclusive of the thesis
- satisfy any other requirements set by the major department; and
- have taken the final six terms of their program at Union or elsewhere in a study program approved by Union.
Students should consult their departments for complete information.
In the case of interdepartmental majors, students must satisfy honors requirements for each department, except that for (2), they need to have at least two grades of A- or better in each department, not three. Interdepartmental majors must also submit to the Honors Committee, through the major departments, evidence of independent work of substance and distinction, in the form of a thesis or some other written or documented work on which a grade not lower than A minus has been earned and they must be nominated by the major departments.