Valedictorian
A valedictorian is the student with the highest academic rank in a graduating class, usually decided by cumulative GPA. At commencement the valedictorian traditionally gives the closing speech, called the valediction. The salutatorian ranks second and traditionally gives the opening welcome. Each school or district sets its own rules for who qualifies.
In more detail
Valedictorian comes from the Latin vale dicere, to say farewell, which is why that speech comes last. Salutatorian comes from the Latin for greeting, which is why that speech opens the ceremony. The titles are most common in the United States, mainly for high school and sometimes for college.
Most schools rank students by cumulative GPA, and many use a weighted GPA so that AP, IB and honors classes count extra. Some districts add rules, such as a minimum number of years at the school, a required course load or a tiebreaker. Ties can produce co-valedictorians. Some schools have dropped the titles altogether and use Latin honors instead, to take the pressure off a single rank.
Being valedictorian is a recognition, not an admission ticket. Colleges read the whole transcript, the difficulty of your courses and the rest of your application, and some high schools no longer report class rank at all. Some local scholarships do name valedictorians, so it is worth checking the policy early.
Valedictorian vs salutatorian
| Point | Valedictorian | Salutatorian |
|---|---|---|
| Rank | First in the class | Second in the class |
| Traditional speech | Closing farewell | Opening welcome |
| Word origin | Latin vale dicere, to say farewell | Latin for greeting |
| How it is decided | Usually cumulative GPA, rules set by the school | Same rule, one place lower |
Example
Ana has a weighted 4.62 from many AP classes and a 3.92 unweighted. Ben has a weighted 4.40 and a perfect 4.0 unweighted. A school that ranks by weighted GPA names Ana valedictorian. A school that ranks by unweighted GPA names Ben. The students are the same and the titles are not, which is why the school's rule matters more than the number alone.
How to use it
- 1
Read the policy in the student handbook: weighted or unweighted GPA, which courses count and the date the final rank is set.
- 2
Check the course-load rule, since some schools only count students who took a minimum number of weighted courses.
- 3
Plan your four years of courses with a counselor so that you can reach your GPA goal without overloading a single term.
- 4
Aim for strong grades from the first semester. Ninth grade usually counts in the cumulative GPA, and early grades are hard to outweigh later.
- 5
Ask for your GPA and rank each term, so you know the gap while you can still close it.
- 6
Spend the most study time on the exams that carry the most weight in each final grade, and protect your sleep and breaks so you do not burn out.
How StudyPDF does this
Rank is decided by grades, and grades are decided largely in exam weeks. StudyPDF helps with that part. Upload your notes, slides and chapters, set the exam date in a course's Plan tab and you get dated revision sessions over your own material, with weak topics earlier. A practice exam is sectioned, can be timed and gives no feedback until you submit, with a graded report at the end. StudyPDF cannot change how your school ranks students.
See also
Common questions
What is the difference between a valedictorian and a salutatorian?
The valedictorian ranks first in the class and traditionally gives the closing speech. The salutatorian ranks second and traditionally gives the opening welcome. Schools decide the ranking, usually by cumulative GPA.
Can you be valedictorian in college?
A few colleges name one student for a whole graduating class, but it is rare. Most colleges use Latin honors such as cum laude instead, which depend on your cumulative GPA and have more than one winner.
Put it to work on your own course
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