Graduation Resources

Degrees are conferred three times each year, in May, August, and December. These dates are published on the university’s Academic Calendar.

In their senior year, students are prompted by an email from the CALS Office of Student Services to complete an online application to graduate. The application is intended to help expected graduates identify academic issues early enough in the final year to make any necessary changes in course selection to satisfy those requirements. The application deadline for part I and part II for both fall and spring graduates is December. 

Meeting graduation requirements is the student’s responsibility; if a problem is discovered, it must be resolved before the degree can be conferred. Students are responsible for checking DUST degree progress and official transcripts each term. They should seek clarification from their major advisor and/or the CALS Office of Student Services if major and/or college graduation requirements are unclear or if there are problems with the academic record. It is the student’s responsibility to complete the Application to Graduate, located in DUST, by the given deadlines.

Follow these guidelines:

• Fill out and submit Part I: College Requirements. This includes your DUST (Distributed Undergraduate Student Tracking) report and a chart of all of the courses and credits you have taken, term by term and in total. You need to answer a series of questions about fulfilling other college requirements. After you submit this form, you'll receive an email confirmation and be asked to make an appointment with your advisor to fill out Part II, Major Requirements. To prepare for that appointment, put together a list of courses you have taken for the major.
• Work with your faculty advisor to fill out Part II: Major Requirements. If you have more than one major, you must meet with each major advisor to fill out a Part II for each major. Your advisor will have a link to the Part II application, which contains a series of questions about courses you have taken for the major.
• For more information, or if you have problems completing your Application to Graduate, contact CALS Student Services at cals-studentservices [at] cornell.edu (cals-studentservices[at]cornell[dot]edu). 

Information regarding diplomas is available on the Cornell University Registrar Diploma Information page.

Beginning with the Fall 2026 conferral date, Cornell University will institute a standardized Latin Honors system based solely on final cumulative undergraduate GPA. Link the courses of study for detailed information. 

Latin Honors afford recognition for academic excellence over the duration of a student's entire official undergraduate coursework at the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Latin Honors are officially annotated on the transcript and diploma of students who have graduated.

Honor level (Summa, Magna, Cum Laude) is calculated on final cumulative GPA after final grades post for the student’s graduating semester. Honor will be noted on the student’s official transcript and diploma.  

Bachelor of Sciences with Honors

Students must meet one of the following sets of criteria to receive a Bachelor of Science degree with Honors:

• Summa Cum Laude: Students who receive a cumulative GPA of 4.00 or greater after the final semester will graduate with “Summa Cum Laude.”
• Magna Cum Laude: Students receiving a cumulative GPA of greater than or equal to 3.75 and less than 4.00 after the final semester will graduate “Magna Cum Laude.”
• Cum Laude: Students receiving a cumulative GPA of greater than or equal to 3.50 and less than 3.75 after the final semester will graduate “Cum Laude.”

How to compute Latin Honors eligibility in your final semester for a Bachelor of Science with Honors

S = the number of letter-graded credits completed

T = the number of letter-graded credits enrolled for in the current semester

Q = Quality points completed (A quality point for one course would be the number of credits you took the course by, multiplied by the quality point assigned to the grade). i.e. if you took a 3 credits course and received an A, you would have 12 quality points

Quality-point equivalents

A+ = 4.3

B+ = 3.3

C+ = 2.3

D+ = 1.3

F= 0

A = 4.0

B = 3.0

C = 2.0

D = 1.0

A- = 3.7

B- - 2.7

C- = 1.7

D- = 0.7

The grades of INC, R, S, and U do not have quality-point equivalents.

Plugin the numbers from your record to compute the following Latin Honors Eligibility:

SUMMA

4.0 x (S + T) – Q = total number of quality points needed to attain SUMMA standing. To figure out the GPA needed you would take the Quality Points needed and divide it by T (the number of letter-graded credits you are enrolled for).

MAGNA

3.75 x (S + T) – Q = total number of quality points needed to attain MAGNA standing. To figure out the GPA needed you would take the Quality Points needed and divide it by T (the number of letter-graded credits you are enrolled for).

CUM LAUDE

3.50 x (S + T) – Q = total number of quality points needed to attain CUM LAUDE standing. To figure out the GPA needed you would take the Quality Points needed and divide it by T (the number of letter-graded credits you are enrolled for).

Cornell University is phasing out individual school and college Dean's Lists. The Dean's List designation will not apply to undergraduate students matriculating in Summer 2023 and beyond. It will be discontinued for all students at the end of the Spring 2026 semester.

Each semester undergraduate students are recognized for academic excellence by inclusion on the Dean’s List. Eligibility for the Dean’s list in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences is determined by the following criteria:

1. A minimum course load for the semester of 12 letter-graded credits;
2. Achievement of a semester GPA of at least 3.50; and
3. Achievement of an “S” grade, or a “C-” or better grade in each course (including Physical Education), with no “Incompletes”, "Withdrawals (W)" or “NGR”.

• When is the determination made?
  At the end of each fall or spring semester after grades are posted.
• Notification
  Students will receive an email notice from the CALS Office of Student Services that they have attained the Dean's List, and their official University transcript will record the achievement based on the criteria above.
• Dean's List Certificate
  Dean's List Certificates are available in DUST once grades are posted.
• Grade changes and Incompletes
  Dean's List will be granted retroactively if a student meets all the criteria due to a grade change or makeup of an incomplete. It is the student's responsibility to contact CALS Student Services to have Dean’s List posted to their record.  Dean's List cannot be granted once a degree has been awarded. More information can be found under course enrollment and credits in the Courses of Study.

Note: Dean’s List was suspended for all undergraduate colleges for Spring 2020 due to the impacts of COVID-19