What Is the President’s List in College?

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Being named to the President’s List is an academic achievement for full-time students who have completed a semester with a 4.0 GPA. Students listed on the President’s List receive a letter of commendation from the president of the college. This announcement of academic achievement is issued by each college and it has no connection to the U.S. President.

Additional requirements can vary based on the college but, in general, the classes attended must be letter graded, meaning pass or fail classes are not included in the 12-hour minimum to be eligible for the President’s List.

Students can usually be named to the President’s List each semester as long as they have completed at least 12 hours of letter-graded classes with the qualifying 4.0 GPA. The Dean’s List is a similar achievement, but it only requires students to have a 3.4 GPA. Part-time students may also be eligible for the Dean’s List once every academic year, depending on the number of credit hours they have completed.