Common App Level of Recognition for 38 Common Honors
School, State/Regional, National or International.
Pick the widest level the award was competed for. If you were compared only with students at your school, it's School. If you beat students from your whole state or region, it's State/Regional. Nationwide pools are National, and pools that include other countries are International.
What each level means
- School
Only students at your school were eligible or compared.
- State/Regional
Students across your county, region or state competed for it.
- National
Students from across the country competed or were compared.
- International
Students from more than one country competed for it.
Level of recognition for common honors
The level is usually set by who you were compared against, not by the name of the award. Some of these are judgment calls, so they say usually. When you're unsure, pick the widest level you actually competed at.
| Honor | Level | Why |
|---|---|---|
| AP Scholar | National | College Board gives it on the same score rules to AP students everywhere. |
| AP Scholar with Honor | National | Same College Board program as AP Scholar, with a higher bar. |
| AP Scholar with Distinction | National | Same College Board program, the highest of the three AP Scholar awards. |
| AP Capstone Diploma | National | Awarded by College Board on a national standard for AP Seminar, AP Research and four more AP exams. |
| National Merit Commended Student | National | Based on your PSAT/NMSQT score against test takers nationwide. |
| National Merit Semifinalist or Finalist | National | Chosen from a national pool, even though cutoff scores are set state by state. |
| College Board National Recognition Program | National | Awarded by College Board on national criteria (African American, Hispanic, Indigenous, rural and small town, first-gen). |
| AMC 10/12 Honor Roll or AIME qualifier | National | The American Mathematics Competitions rank students across the country. |
| National Latin, Spanish or French Exam award | National | Scored against everyone who took that exam nationwide. |
| National Honor Society (NHS) | School | Your school's chapter selects members, so you're compared only with classmates. |
| National Junior Honor Society | School | Chosen by your school's chapter, like NHS. |
| Subject honor society (Mu Alpha Theta, Spanish, English, Science NHS) | School | Membership comes through your school's chapter. |
| Tri-M Music Honor Society | School | Your school's chapter selects members. |
| Honor Roll or High Honor Roll | School | Based on your school's GPA cutoff. |
| Principal's List or Headmaster's List | School | Set and awarded by your school. |
| Valedictorian or Salutatorian | School | Ranks you against your own graduating class. |
| Department or subject award (e.g. Top Chemistry Student) | School | Chosen by your teachers from students at your school. |
| Student of the Month or Year | School | Picked from students at your school. |
| President's Award for Educational Excellence | School | The name is national, but your school decides who gets it using its own criteria. |
| Seal of Biliteracy | State/Regional | Usually State/Regional, since most seals are awarded by the state. A seal only your district gives is School. |
| Academic All-State | State/Regional | Compares students across your state. |
| School science fair winner | School | Only students at your school competed. |
| Regional or state science fair placement | State/Regional | You competed against students from across your region or state. |
| Regeneron ISEF finalist | International | The International Science and Engineering Fair includes students from dozens of countries. |
| Regeneron Science Talent Search scholar | National | Selected from applicants across the country. |
| All-State band, orchestra or choir | State/Regional | Auditioned against musicians from your whole state. |
| All-County or district honor ensemble | State/Regional | Usually State/Regional, because students from many schools audition. |
| Scholastic Art & Writing Gold Key, Silver Key or Honorable Mention | State/Regional | Keys are judged in your regional affiliate. |
| Scholastic Art & Writing National Medal | National | Gold and Silver Medals are judged nationally from regional Gold Key work. |
| Boys State or Girls State | State/Regional | Delegates come from across your state. |
| Boys Nation or Girls Nation | National | Two delegates are chosen from each state. |
| DECA, FBLA or HOSA state placement | State/Regional | You placed against chapters from across your state. |
| FBLA or HOSA national placement | National | Placed at a national conference. DECA's ICDC includes other countries, so a top ICDC finish is usually International. |
| NSDA speech and debate state qualifier or champion | State/Regional | Qualifying runs through your district or state tournament. |
| NSDA National Tournament qualifier or finalist | National | You competed against qualifiers from across the country. |
| Eagle Scout or Girl Scout Gold Award | National | Usually National, since the rank is granted on national standards. Some counselors treat it as an activity instead, so list it in one place, not both. |
| Congressional Award | National | Granted by a national program created by Congress. |
| Math or science olympiad international team (IMO, IPhO, IBO) | International | Competed against teams from other countries. |
Not sure what to list or how to word it? Read the full Common App honors section guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
National. All three AP Scholar awards come from College Board on the same score rules for students everywhere, so check National.
School. NHS has National in its name, but your school's chapter picks members by comparing you with your classmates. Many students also list NHS in the Activities section instead, especially if they held a role in it.
Yes. The Common App lets you check every box that applies. If you won at school, then regionals, then state, check each level you reached. The widest box is the one readers notice, so make sure it's checked.
Ask who you were compared against. Only classmates means School. Students from many schools in your area or state means State/Regional. If you're still unsure, pick the widest level you actually competed at and say who was eligible in the honor's name, e.g. 'Regional Science Fair, 2nd of 140'.
No. The level depends on who competed, not the name. NHS and the President's Award for Educational Excellence both sound national but are chosen by your school, so they're School level. See how to fill out the whole honors section.
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