Cum Laude Society: What It Is, Who Gets In, and What It Means for College Admissions
By Rona Aydin
What Is the Cum Laude Society?
It is an honor society that recognizes academic achievement in secondary schools. Its founders established it in 1906 and modeled it on Phi Beta Kappa, the college honor society. The original name was the Alpha Delta Tau fraternity, and the society took its present name in the 1950s.
The society states its mission as recognizing academic achievement for the purpose of promoting excellence, justice, and honor. It is a non-profit educational organization with a central office in Louisville, Kentucky, and it inducts some 4,000 new student members each year.
Which Schools Have a Chapter?
The society is an association of 382 chapters. About two dozen are in public schools, and the rest are in independent schools in the United States, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, Canada, England, France, and Spain.
Membership belongs to the school. A school administrator applies for a charter, the society reviews applications once a year, and every ten years each chapter files a review so that the society can confirm the school has kept the academic standards that made it eligible. The society says the presence of a chapter is an indication that superior scholastic achievement is honored at that school.
For families comparing independent schools, a chapter is one small sign of academic seriousness. Our guides to the most selective New York City private schools and private school interview questions cover the larger questions in that choice.
How Does a Chapter Elect Students?
Students do not apply and cannot nominate themselves. A small group of faculty members and administrators runs each chapter and elects members under rules the society sets.
| Rule | What the society states |
|---|---|
| Limit | A chapter may elect up to 20% of the senior class in the college preparatory curriculum who have an honor record |
| Junior year | Half at the end of junior year or at any time during senior year |
| Senior year | The remainder at the end of senior year |
| Basis | Academic excellence. Each chapter defines an honor record for itself |
| Character | The Regents assume chapters will elect only students who have demonstrated good character, honor, and integrity |
The 20% figure is a ceiling. The society tells chapters that they need not elect the full number, and it urges a school to elect fewer in a year when a class is weaker.
Activities do not count. The society notes that other organizations reward social service, extracurricular activities, citizenship, and athletics, and says that its elections should be based on academic excellence.
When Does Election Happen, and Why Does the Timing Matter?
The timing decides whether the honor can appear on a college application. Half of the 20% limit is 10%, so a chapter may elect up to about one tenth of the class by the end of junior year, by Oriel Admissions calculation from the society’s rule. Those students can list the election when they apply in the fall of senior year.
Students elected at the end of senior year receive the honor after colleges have made their admission decisions. For them it is a recognition at graduation and has no part in admission.
A junior year election rests on grades from 9th, 10th, and 11th grade. Each chapter defines an honor record for itself, so a family should ask the school which years and courses count. Our guide on whether colleges look at freshman year grades explains why the first year matters for colleges as well.
How Is the Cum Laude Society Different From the National Honor Society?
These two societies differ in what they measure and in how many students they admit. The Cum Laude Society elects on academic excellence and caps membership at 20% of the senior class. The National Honor Society considers students in grades 10 to 12 on four pillars, which are scholarship, service, leadership, and character, and it sets a minimum GPA without a cap on numbers.
They also differ in the schools that have them. The National Honor Society has chapters in public and private schools across the country, and most Cum Laude chapters are in independent schools. A school can have both. Our guide to the National Honor Society covers its requirements.
How Do Colleges View Cum Laude Society Membership?
Admissions readers who cover independent schools know the society and its rule. Oriel Admissions reads a junior year election to the Cum Laude Society as a sign that the school places the student in about the top tenth of the class on academic record. That is useful because many independent schools do not report class rank.
The honor confirms the transcript and does not add a separate achievement. For Ivy League admission, a student needs nearly all As in the hardest classes the school offers, and that same record is what leads to election. Oriel Admissions advises listing a junior year election in the honors section of the application. Our guide to the Common App honors section shows how to order it among other honors.
What If a School Has No Chapter?
There is no disadvantage. Colleges read each applicant against what the school offers, and no reader expects a student to hold an honor the school does not award. A student cannot join the society individually, because the society grants membership to schools and each school inducts its own students.
At a school without a chapter, the transcript, the school profile, and the counselor’s letter carry the same information. Our guide to course rigor explains how colleges read a transcript in the context of the school.
What Should a Family Do in 9th and 10th Grade?
A family at a member school should ask three questions early. How does the chapter define an honor record? Which years count? When does the chapter elect juniors?
The answers usually point to the same plan a selective college expects. The student takes the most demanding courses the school offers and earns top grades in them from the first semester of 9th grade. Our guides to honors classes and the four year high school plan show how to lay out those courses.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Cum Laude Society
It is an academic honor society for secondary schools, founded in 1906 and modeled on Phi Beta Kappa. It has 382 chapters.
Students do not apply. The chapter at the school elects them on academic record, up to a limit of 20% of the senior class.
Yes. A chapter may choose half of its members at the end of junior year or during senior year. It elects the rest at the end of senior year.
No. Graduating cum laude is a Latin honor that some schools and colleges award at graduation. The society is a separate organization with chapters at member schools.
A small number do. About two dozen of the 382 chapters are in public schools, and the rest are in independent schools.
Chapters elect on academic excellence alone, up to 20% of the senior class. The National Honor Society also weighs service, leadership, and character.
Oriel Admissions advises listing a junior year election in the honors section. It confirms a top academic standing, which is useful when a school does not rank its students.
No. The society grants membership to schools, and each member school inducts its own students.
Sources: cumlaudesociety.org: Basic Facts, cumlaudesociety.org: About and Brief History, cumlaudesociety.org: Membership Inquiry for schools, NHS: How to Become a Member
About Oriel Admissions
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