Understanding UCLA's Latin Honors, Graduation Requirements, and Commitment to Latinx Student Success

The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is dedicated to providing a high-quality educational experience for all its students. This article explores the various facets of UCLA's graduation requirements, with a particular focus on Latin honors, commencement ceremonies, and the university's ongoing efforts to become a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI).

Latin Honors at UCLA

UCLA recognizes outstanding academic achievement through Latin honors, which are awarded to graduating students based on their overall grade-point average (GPA). These honors are noted on official transcripts and diplomas, providing a lasting testament to students' hard work and dedication.

Eligibility and Levels of Honors

To be eligible for Latin honors, students must have completed at least 90 University of California units for a letter grade; the School of Nursing requires 98 units. The levels of honors are:

Summa Cum Laude: Awarded to students with the highest GPA.
Magna Cum Laude: Awarded to students with a high GPA, but slightly below the summa cum laude threshold.
Cum Laude: Awarded to students with a commendable GPA.

It's important to note that the specific GPA requirements for each level of honors are subject to yearly change and other eligibility restrictions. Students should contact their College or school for the most up-to-date information.

Additional Honors Programs

Beyond Latin honors, UCLA offers several other honors programs to recognize and support exceptional undergraduate students:

College Honors: This prestigious program is awarded to graduating seniors who successfully complete the College Honors program and maintain an overall University of California GPA of 3.5 or better. The program provides opportunities for individual excellence and is noted on official transcripts and diplomas.
Department Honors: Individual departments and programs within the College offer their own honors programs, with varying admission and curricular requirements. Students who successfully complete these programs graduate with departmental honors or highest honors. Consult the departmental adviser about procedures and program requirements.

Commencement Ceremonies at UCLA

UCLA commencement ceremonies are a momentous occasion for graduating students, their families, and the university community. These ceremonies are held in June during finals week of spring quarter. While attendance is optional, they offer a chance to celebrate accomplishments and mark the transition to the next chapter in life.

Participation and Tickets

To participate in commencement ceremonies, students are typically required to complete a ticket ordering process for each ceremony. Students who are completing a double/triple major may participate in additional School/College, departmental, and student celebrations. For example, students pursuing the B.A. in Public Affairs may be eligible to participate in multiple commencement ceremonies.

For the 2025 Luskin Commencement Ceremony, students will receive 1 ticket for themselves and up to 8 guest tickets. Ticket ordering for the 2025 UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs Undergraduate Program Commencement ceremony will open Monday, April 7, 2025 and closes Friday, April 25, 2025.

To access the Luskin commencement ticket order form, students must opt-in or opt-out of completing the Luskin Senior Exit Survey, and if applicable, submit a Special Inclusion Petition.

After the ticket ordering process concludes, students will receive their digital commencement tickets from the UCLA Central Ticket Office 1-2 weeks in advance of the ceremony. Each student is responsible for distributing the digital commencement tickets to their guests. Selling commencement tickets is a violation of the Student Conduct Code (code 102.23c). Students who are found selling commencement tickets will be referred to the Dean of Students.

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Keynote Speakers and Special Events

Commencement ceremonies often feature distinguished keynote speakers who share their insights and experiences with the graduating class. For instance, the keynote speaker for the 2025 Luskin School of Public Affairs commencement ceremonies will be Nathalie Rayes, Former Ambassador to Croatia, MPP ‘99.

In addition to the main ceremony, various departments and student organizations host their own celebrations, providing more intimate settings for students to connect with their peers and faculty.

Accessibility and Accommodations

UCLA is committed to ensuring that commencement ceremonies are accessible to all students and guests. All UCLA commencement venues are accessible. Guests who need accessible seating should let staff know when they enter the commencement venue. There will be a sign language interpreter at the Luskin Commencement ceremony. Accommodations will be made for students with disabilities to participate in the celebration experience. There will be accessible routes at all commencement venues. As part of the student registration process (including registering with the UCLA Center for Accessible Education), accommodations will be made if an attendant or support animal is needed. Guests who need accessible seating should inform event staff at the time of check-in. Signers will be available to interpret the ceremony for those who are hearing impaired. All UCLA parking structures have accessible parking. Service animals are allowed in the commencement venues.

Regalia and Attire

Undergraduate students who participate in the in-person commencement ceremonies must wear a black cap/mortar board, black gown, and tassel. The tassel color for the B.A. You can order your cap, gown, tassel, and all commencement regalia, from the UCLA Store Graduation Etc. You can purchase your cap and gown in-person or online from the UCLA Store Graduation Etc. beginning February 28, 2025. Online orders take about 4 days to process.

Students are eligible to wear honor cords (or, fourragere) if they are graduating with Latin Honors or College Honors, and/or if they are recipients of the Chancellor’s Service Award. Purchase and distribution of honor cords begins Monday, June 2, 2025. You are eligible to receive a refund if you return your honor cords to UCLA Store Graduation Etc. by Friday, June 20, 2025 at 5pm (PT). Please contact UCLA Store Graduation Etc. In addition to wearing honor cords, students are permitted to wear sashes, cords, and other regalia that programs and student organizations give to graduating students.

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Student Speaker Opportunity

Students who are interested in being considered for the Commencement Student Speaker opportunity must complete the Public Affairs Commencement Student Speaker Nomination Form (linked here). After the nomination period closes, the graduating class of public affairs majors will vote to elect the student speaker by completing the Public Affairs Commencement Student Speaker Voting Form (linked here). Voting opens on Tuesday, April 22, 2025 and closes on Sunday, May 4, 2025.

Multilingual Greeters

The Luskin School of Public Affairs Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony will begin with students welcoming the audience in various languages. Multilingual greeters will say the same phrase in a different languages. If you speak a language other than English and you would like to be one of the multilingual greeters at commencement, submit the Public Affairs Commencement Multilingual Greeters form (linked here). The form opens Monday, March 24, 2025 and closes Sunday, May 4, 2025.

Surveys for Graduating Seniors

Graduating seniors are invited to participate in several surveys to share information about their experience at UCLA, their experience in the public affairs major, and their post-baccalaureate plans. Graduating students are invited to complete the Luskin Senior Exit Survey (link forthcoming) to share their feedback about their experience in the Public Affairs major. The Luskin Senior Exit Survey opens annually in early Spring quarter. To access to the Luskin Commencement ticket ordering process, Public Affairs majors must opt-in or opt-out of completing the Luskin Senior Exit Survey (link forthcoming). The 2025 Luskin Senior Exit Survey will open on Spring Break. Graduating students are invited to complete the UCLA Senior Survey to share their feedback about their experience at UCLA. Students who complete the UCLA Senior Survey are entered into different raffles. The First Destination Survey (FDS) is administered by the UCLA Student Affairs Information & Research Office (SAIRO) and is designed specifically to help us learn more about the experiences and aspirations of our recent UCLA graduates. The responses help future Bruins prepare for their career and post-graduation goals.

Special Inclusion Petition

Special Inclusion Petition (SIP) Students who do not meet the commencement eligibility criteria for this year’s commencement ceremonies must submit a Special Inclusion Petition (linked here) to participate in the Commencement ceremonies. For example, a Fall 2025 candidate who wants to participate in the June 2025 commencement ceremonies must submit a Special Inclusion Petition.

UCLA's Commitment to Becoming a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI)

UCLA has made a significant commitment to becoming a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) by 2025. This designation, awarded by the U.S. Department of Education, requires that an institution's undergraduate enrollment comprise at least 25% Latino students. Achieving HSI status would bring numerous benefits to UCLA, including access to a range of federal grants specifically designed to support Hispanic students.

Progress Towards HSI Designation

After analyzing the growth trends of the Latino student population at UCLA from 2000-2020, there appears to be a steady increase in the percentage of Latino students. In order to become an HSI, UCLA would need undergraduate enrollment that is at least 25% Latino students.

The Latinx Success Center (LSC)

The establishment of UCLA’s Latinx Success Center (LSC) responds to the Chancellor-appointed HSI Task Force recommendation to establish a center that can provide culturally responsive support for students and information for campus educators. The LSC builds on the momentum of campus-wide efforts related to UCLA’s commitment to becoming a federally designated HSI by 2025.

Managed by the Division of Undergraduate Education, in partnership with the Office of Student Affairs, the LSC will serve as both a central hub and an incubator for best practices in Latinx, first-generation and low-income student success. The LSC will build on the effectiveness of Latinx-facing programs and departments at UCLA while creating synergy and alignment to expand their impact to all students across campus.

The LSC will build UCLA’s institutional capacity to: (1) Reach equity in retention and graduation by 2030 UC Goals by increasing Latinx freshman 4-year graduation rate from 72% to 86% and Latinx transfer 2-year graduation from 68% to 75% by 2030. (2) Serve as a central hub of support that connects students to campus-wide resources, increases use of existing student support services and fosters a sense of belonging on campus. (3) Strengthen career, graduate and professional pathways for Latinx, low-income, and all students. (4) Serve as a vehicle to attain and implement future HSI grant-sponsored initiatives to fund innovative academic programs leading to equitable retention, graduation, and career and graduate pathways.(5) Features a digital component of resources, incorporating inventory of programs, and staff/faculty profiles that choose to be affiliated with the Center; A location for staff services from other units; Links with faculty interested in aspects of Center activity.

OUR COLLECTIVE PROGRESS In Winter 2023, the HSI Retention & Belonging Committee began implementing recommendations from the HSI Task Force report. By Spring 2023, a student town hall identified the Center as a top priority, leading to a proposal developed by the Committee and a walkthrough of potential start-up locations. Over the summer, the HSI Student Collaborative was formed to amplify student voices, and $97,000 in start-up funding was allocated by EVCP Hunt. In Fall 2023, a resolution by the Undergraduate Students Association Council and meetings with key university leaders underscored the growing momentum. Winter 2024 brought further collaboration between HSI, Undergraduate Education, and Student Affairs, culminating in a $1.5 million gift to support the Center’s establishment. The search for the inaugural Executive Director began in Fall 2024, alongside key developments to continue to enhance student engagement. Two advisory boards, the Student Advisory Board (SAB) and Graduate Student Advisory Board (GSAB), have been formed to ensure student voices guide the Center’s programming. Additionally, a mural designed by UCLA alumni Barbara Carrasco (‘78) in collaboration with undergraduate students will celebrate the rich history, creativity, and diversity of the Latinx community at UCLA, making the Center a dynamic hub for cultural pride and storytelling.

Latinx Welcome

The Latinx Welcome aims to accomplish the following:Send affirming and welcoming messages to all Latinx students and their familiesIncrease student’s knowledge of campus-wide resources, organizations and opportunitiesFoster self-efficacy and community-efficacyIncrease knowledge of Latinx contributions to UCLA and higher educationThank you to the 1,500 of you who joined us for the 2025 Latinx Welcome!

Graduation Rates and Support for Latinx Students

Looking at the graphs below, UCLA has on average the highest Latino graduation rate (86.08%) compared to the other UC schools from 2011 to 2019. UCLA’s yearly Latino graduation rates have not changed significantly since 2011 while some HSI’s such as UC Santa Barbara and UC Riverside have experienced increased Latino graduation rates. However, variables such as the selectivity of institutions and their support for Latino students can be confounded when looking purely at graduation rates and changes in graduation rates. Another metric that can be evaluated is the gap between white and Latino graduation rates.

One major aspect of an HSI designation is being qualified for a large range of grants that are to be used “to expand educational opportunities for, and improve the attainment of, Hispanic students,” according to Block’s Dec.

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