If a college student graduates cum laude, they receive the third highest honor that is possible. The second-highest grade is known as magna cum laude, and the highest grade of all is known as summa cum laude.
[US]
In 1963, she graduated cum laude from Harvard.
He graduated magna cum laude.
Jeremy Heyl graduated summa cum laude with a degree in Astrophysics.
cum laude in British English
(kʌm ˈlɔːdɪ, kʊm ˈlaʊdeɪ)
adverb
mainly US
with praise: the lowest of three designations for above-average achievement in examinations
Compare magna cum laude, summa cum laude
Word origin
Latin
cum laude in American English
(kʊm ˈlaʊdeɪ; ˈlaʊdɛ; ˈlaʊdə; ˈlaʊdi)
with praise: a phrase signifying above-average academic standing at the time of graduation from a college or university: the lowest of three categories