Honors and Awards Information
Graduation with Honors
Honors are based on a student’s cumulative Quality Point Index. Honors will be granted at graduation and indicated on the student’s permanent record and diploma in keeping with the following scale of academic achievement:
- Cum laude, for a Grade Point Average of 3.50 to 3.69.
- Magna cum laude, for a Grade Point Average of 3.70 to 3.84.
- Summa cum laude, for a Grade Point Average of 3.85 to 4.00.
Transfer students and Accelerated Second Degree students must have earned a minimum of 60 semester hours in residence at Bellarmine University and meet the current standards regarding honors (Bellarmine GPA of 3.5 or better) in order to be a candidate for graduation with honors. For these students, grades received both in courses transferred to Bellarmine and in courses completed at Bellarmine will be used in determining the student’s GPA for the recognition of honors. In the Spring, students receive their honors medallions at the Honors and Awards Dinner. Medallions are given at the rehearsal in December.
Honors and Awards
Each year the faculty of each college nominate and select graduating seniors for academic awards from the disciplines of the college. The University Honors & Awards Committee solicits nominations for a variety of academic, service, and leadership awards that are presented at a reception in late April or at an Honors & Awards event prior to Commencement. Students graduating with honors or receiving senior awards will receive an invitation to the Honors & Awards Dinner held prior to Commencement in May.
At the spring commencement, the University confers two awards for outstanding intellectual achievement. The Wilson Wyatt Fellowship of Academic Excellence recognizes a graduating senior’s sustained intellectual distinction; the recipient is selected through a rigorous process, which includes an essay competition and interviews with faculty and trustees. The Archbishop’s Medal for Scholastic Excellence is awarded to the graduating senior with the highest cumulative grade point average. The Archbishop’s Medal is also awarded at the Fall Commencement.