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College of Humanities, Arts, Behavioral & Social Sciences

Dean's List

What's So Special About Making and Staying on the CHABSS Dean's List?

2019 Dean's List Student

Making the Dean’s List and staying on it is not easy. It is an accomplishment to be proud of, especially when the average student is balancing school, work, kids, partner, and a myriad of competing priorities.

To celebrate the exceptional commitment Dean’s Listers make to excelling in their studies, CHABSS hosts two Dean’s List Mixers during the academic year. READ MORE

 To qualify for the undergraduate Dean's List at the conclusion of a semester, the student must have completed a minimum of 12 units of graded Cal State San Marcos coursework (A, B, C, D, F) during that semester with at least a 3.50 grade point average.

The letters are generated after grades are received from professors. The letters are sent electronically to the campus email address on file with Enrollment Management Services.

If you did not receive a Dean's List letter, please contact the Office of the Dean by email to request one be sent to you. Your request must include the semester of eligibility, student ID number, and contact information: full name, email address and telephone.

For graduating students
Staying on the Dean’s List until graduation may lead to a special graduation recognition and invitation to the CHABSS Academic Honors Celebration in April —an annual ceremony to honor and provide gold chords to CHABSS Latin honors-earning graduates. The gold chords are to be worn during commencement to recognize a student’s academic achievement. It is referred to as Latin honors because of the Latin terminology used in the recognition.

There are three Latin honors titles associated with graduation:

  • GPA of at least 3.9 earns the honor of summa cum laude (meaning, with highest honors)
  • GPA of at least 3.7 and less than 3.9 earns magna cum laude (with high honors)
  • GPA of at least 3.5 and less than 3.7 earns cum laude (with honors).

For clarity, because it can be confusing, there is a difference between a CSUSM GPA and a student’s overall GPA. The CSUSM GPA is calculated from only courses taken at CSUSM. The overall GPA includes coursework transferred in from another institution. The university will use the lower of the two GPAs to confer honors, which means that both GPAs must be above a 3.5 to be eligible for honors. For example, if the student’s CSUSM GPA is a 4.0 and their overall GPA is a 3.6, then student is eligible for cum laude (not summa cum laude).

TYPICALLY, graduating students will be informed if they earned Latin Honors by early to mid March and will receive an email from the CHABSS Dean's Office inviting them to the Academic Honors Celebration in April. 

CHABSS Dean's Lists

Fall Spring
Fall 2021 Spring 2021
Fall 2020 Spring 2020
Fall 2019 Spring 2019
Fall 2018 Spring 2018
Fall 2017 Spring 2017
Fall 2016 Spring 2016
Fall 2015 Spring 2015
Fall 2014 Spring 2014
Fall 2013 Spring 2013
Fall 2012 Spring 2012
Fall 2011 Spring 2011*
Fall 2010* Spring 2010*
Fall 2009*  

*Dean's Lists honors prior to Fall 2011 were awarded by the College of Arts & Sciences