What Is a Valedictorian?

A valedictorian is the student with the highest academic ranking in a graduating class, most often in a US high school, and sometimes at a college. The title comes from the Latin "vale dicere," meaning to say farewell, because the valedictorian traditionally delivers the farewell speech at graduation. The student with the second highest ranking is called the salutatorian.

How the title is decided

Schools set their own criteria, but most use grade point average, calculated at the end of the final year or the end of the senior year's first semester. Policies differ in how they weight honors, AP and IB classes and in whether they count all courses or only core subjects. When several students share the same GPA, schools may name co-valedictorians.

In recent years, some high schools have dropped ranking or the title altogether, citing the stress of competition, differences in course choices and the impact on collaboration. Others name many graduates as honor students with Latin honors.

The speech

The valedictorian's speech typically reflects on the class's shared experience, offers advice and thanks teachers, families and friends. Schools often review speeches in advance. Salutatorians may give a welcome address.

Valedictorian in college

Some colleges name a valedictorian, usually the graduate with the highest cumulative GPA, and others do not. More commonly, colleges recognize graduates with Latin honors such as cum laude, magna cum laude and summa cum laude, which are based on GPA thresholds or percentages of the class.

Does it matter?

Colleges consider much more than class rank in admissions, and many US high schools no longer report rank. Being valedictorian is an honor and may bring scholarships at some schools, but it is not required for success. Colleges also look at course rigor, activities and essays.

Related terms

See commencement, honors program, academic regalia and grade point.