University at Buffalo (UB)
Latin Honors, cum laude, magna cum laude and summa cum laude, are awarded to students who have met the criteria for such awards. The following outlines the criteria for each award:
A student earning 75% of available Commendation and Honors points in required courses will be considered for cum laude degree honors.
A student earning 85% of available Commendation and Honors points in required courses will be considered for magna cum laude degree honors.
A student earning 90% of available Commendation and Honors points in required courses and completing a thesis will be considered for summa cum laude diploma honors.
Latin Honors, cum laude, magna cum laude and summa cum laude, are awarded to students who have met the criteria for such awards. The following outlines the criteria for each award:
A student earning one Dean's Letter of Commendation, passes USMLE Step 1 on the first attempt and scores at least at the 60th percentile nationally on USMLE Step 2 will be considered for cum laude degree honors.
A student earning two Dean's Letters of Commendation, passes USMLE Step 1 on the first attempt and scores at least at the 80th percentile nationally on USMLE Step 2 will be considered for magna cum laude degree honors.
A student earning three Dean's Letters of Commendation, passes USMLE Step 1 on the first attempt and scores at least at the 90th percentile nationally on USMLE Step 2 will be considered for summa cum laude diploma honors.
Research honors are awarded based on the following criteria:
Honors for Health Sciences Scholarly Project
Research Honors are awarded at graduation to students who have pursued outstanding research during medical school. Recipients of Research Honors are chosen by the Student Research Committee of the Jacobs School. The criteria used to identify students who qualify for Health Sciences Scholarly Project Honors includes:
Many of the Jacobs School’s awards for medical students — including departmental awards, research awards, association awards and memorials, and medical school awards — are given at commencement.
Class of 2026 & 2027 only
The award of Thesis Honors is intended to recognize outstanding academic achievement in a specific area of study by an individual medical student and to encourage scholarship while pursuing the Doctor of Medicine degree.
Thesis Honors are awarded based on the criteria similar to that of research honors with these additional components:
Students must indicate their intention to apply for Thesis Honors by October of senior year by responding to the message sent to the class listserv. The reply must contain the student’s name, the title of the thesis, the major adviser, and the department affiliation.