Distinguished graduate (graduation)
From USAFA Folklore
Cadets who excel academically, militarly or athletically at the Academy may be awarded certain distinction upon graduation. "Distinguished graduate" (DG) is the highest such level of recognition, roughly equivalent to a "magna cum laude" award at a civilian college. The Distinguished Graduate recognition may be awarded to cadets who finish their cadet careers with a cumulative overall performance average (OPA) in the top 10% of all cadets in the graduating class, but is traditionally only awarded to about the top 7%. At the Graduation ceremony, the distinguished graduates are presented their diplomas first, in order of merit.
[edit] Other graduation recognition
There are several lesser levels of graduation recognition, each roughly equivalent to a "cum laude" recognition at a civilian college, but slightly different in the fact that not all are based on academic performance. These levels are "With Academic Distinction", "With Military Distinction", and "With Athletic Distinction". Graduates who have earned these levels of distinction are also sometimes referred to as being a "Distinguished Academic Graduate", "Distinguished Military Graduate", or "Distinguished Athletic Graduate" of the Academy, respectively. Since the Academy went away from graduating by order of merit, cadets graduating with only these levels of recognition (and not the overall "Distinguished Graduate" level) are presented their diplomas with their squadrons. Because the OPA is a weighted score, it is sometimes possible for a cadet to be an overall "distinguished graduate" based on OPA, but graduate with only one or two of the lesser distinction levels.
There has also been a level of distinction known as "With Honors". (Anyone know how this is obtained?)
[edit] Recognition levels
| Recognition | Graduating Class | Based On |
|---|---|---|
| Distinguished Graduate | Up to top 10% | OPA |
| Preference for Graduate Education | Top 15% | OPA |
| With "Academic Distinction" | Top 10% | GPA |
| With "Military Distinction" | Top 10% | MPA |
| With "Athletic Distinction" | Top 10% | PEA |
| "With Honors" | ??? | ??? |
- Athletic distinction was added in (199_?) when the Academy began calculating PEA independently.
- "With Honors" has been awarded (when?)
