At its meeting in February, the Faculty Senate, which includes faculty members from the Columbia and two-year campuses, unanimously approved a motion to change the GPA requirements a student must meet to graduate summa cum laude, but the new requirement will not go into effect unless faculty at the Aiken, Beaufort, and Upstate campuses also approve the change.

If the change is approved, the new rule will become effective for the 2006-07 bulletin year. The first graduates under the new rule will be in December 2006.

If all campuses approve the motion, any student with a GPA between 3.95 and 4.00 will graduate summa cum laude, allowing students to make one B plus during their undergraduate careers. Presently, the summa designation requires a perfect 4.00. If approved, the new GPA requirement the graduate magna cum laude will be 3.75-3.94.

USC's 4.00 GPA requirement for summa graduates is among the most stringent in the country and is not consistent with requirements at peer institutions.

2/06