Medals

The Governor General's Academic Medal

The first medals of the Governor General were awarded in Canada over 100 years ago. The Earl of Dufferin, the third Governor General after Confederation, inaugurated what has now become one of the most prestigious awards that a Canadian graduate or undergraduate student can receive: the Governor General's Academic Medal.

This silver medal is awarded to the undergraduate who achieves the highest academic standing in the graduating class upon graduation from a bachelor degree program. Two silver medals are awarded at the Spring Convocation ceremonies, encompassing graduates from the entire academic year.

 
Alumni Gold Medals – Honours Programs

To qualify for the gold medal, a student must have:

  1. a minimum GPA of 10.00 (A-) in the senior courses of the honours program.
  2. a minimum cumulative GPA of 10.00 (A-).

Each faculty/school or affiliated university-college shall have one gold medal for each convocation period in which it has from 1 to 100 students receiving an honours degree, and an additional gold medal for each additional hundred undergraduate students receiving an honours degree during that convocation period. Thus, a faculty/school or affiliated university-college with 60 honours graduates in fall would be allotted one gold medal, and an undergraduate faculty/school or affiliate with 300 would receive three medals. Gold medals are awarded only to students in subject areas having at least one non-combination honours program, though the recipient may be in a combined honours program. If the subject area has both single and combined honours programs, the award is made to the student with the highest GPA in the senior courses in that subject's honours program, whether or not they are registered in a single or combined program.

 
Alumni Bronze Medals – General Programs

Eligible students must be registered in the graduating year of a General BA or General BSc program. They must have attained a minimum cumulative GPA of 10.00 (A-).

Each faculty/school and affiliated university-college shall have one bronze medal for each convocation period in which it has from 1 to 100 undergraduate students receiving a general degree, and an additional bronze medal for each additional hundred undergraduate students receiving a general degree during that convocation period.

 
Other Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for any medal, students must be in a degree-seeking program, taking the majority of their courses at Wilfrid Laurier University. For each spring and fall convocation, the Office of Enrolment Services, in consultation with the relevant departments, will identify the medalists. A medal may be awarded during each of the spring and fall convocation periods in which there is a student meeting the requirements for that medal. Normally, only those students who apply for graduation by the deadline noted in this calendar will be considered for medals.