Fact check: Did Donald Trump graduate with honors from the University of Pennsylvania?

1. Summary of the results

The evidence conclusively shows that Donald Trump did not graduate with honors from the University of Pennsylvania. Multiple sources confirm that his name does not appear on any honors lists from the 1968 graduation, including cum laude, magna cum laude, or summa cum laude recipients ^{[1] [2]}. The 1968 Commencement Program, which listed 20 Wharton award recipients and 21 students with various honors distinctions, did not include Trump's name ^[3].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

Several important contextual details emerge from the analyses:

• Trump has consistently refused to make his academic records public ^[2]
• His actual GPA was reportedly around 2.5, commonly known as a "Gentleman's C" ^[4]
• He was not among the top 15% of his class who made the Dean's List ^[3]
• Multiple classmates and professors have described him as a lackluster student, with one professor reportedly calling him "the dumbest goddamn student I ever had" ^[2]
• A 1973 New York Times article quoted Trump's father acknowledging that his son did not graduate with any honors ^[4]

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The question itself appears to stem from a larger pattern of misrepresentation regarding Trump's academic achievements:

• The New York Times had to issue a correction to a 1984 profile that incorrectly claimed Trump graduated "first in his class" ^[2]
• This narrative benefits those who wish to portray Trump as an exceptional academic achiever
• The persistence of this question despite clear documentary evidence suggests deliberate myth-making around Trump's academic achievements
• Multiple classmates have come forward to counter these claims, describing Trump as "not particularly studious or intellectual" ^[3]