A University Medal is one of several types of award conferred by

universities A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

upon outstanding students or members of staff. The usage and status of university medals differ between countries and between universities.

As award on graduation

Many universities award University Medals to the top

undergraduate Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education, usually in a college or university. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, ...

students upon graduation each year.

Australia

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, the University Medal is usually awarded upon completion of

Honours degrees Honours degree has various meanings in the context of different degrees and education systems. Most commonly it refers to a variant of the undergraduate bachelor's degree containing a larger volume of material or a higher standard of study, o ...

based on academic merit. The criteria for bestowing the University Medal are stringent. The number of medals awarded might also be limited. For example, the

University of New South Wales The University of New South Wales (UNSW) is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was established in 1949. The university comprises seven faculties, through which it offers bachelor's, master's and docto ...

' medal policy states: "it is expected that only in exceptional circumstances would there be more than one Medal for a particular specialisation". The usual criterion is very high marks across all the subjects undertaken in the 4-year Honours degree. In some universities, the University Medal is treated as a distinct division or class of the Honours degree ("First class Honours and University Medal"). It is rare, but possible, for a student to receive two University Medals, by winning a Medal in each of two undergraduate degrees or majors within a degree. For example, Australian politician and judge

H. V. Evatt Herbert Vere "Doc" Evatt, (30 April 1894 – 2 November 1965) was an Australian politician and judge. He served as a justice of the High Court of Australia from 1930 to 1940, Attorney-General of Australia, Attorney-General and Minister for For ...

won University Medals in

Philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

and

Law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...

from the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD) is a public university, public research university in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in both Australia and Oceania. One of Australia's six sandstone universities, it was one of the ...

, and Brian Anderson, the former President of the Australia Academy of Science and the

International Federation of Automatic Control The International Federation of Automatic Control (IFAC), founded in September 1957 in France, is a multinational federation of 49 national member organizations (NMO), each one representing the engineering and scientific societies concerned with a ...

, won University Medals in

Engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

and

Mathematics Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...

from the University of Sydney. Timothy Potts, Director of the J. Paul Getty Museum, won University Medals in

and

Archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

from the University of Sydney, Sir Cyril Ambrose Walsh, High Court of Australia, won three University Medals, in English and Philosophy and Law at Sydney University.

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

, Universities award medals, usually named in honor of a senior faculty member at annual convocations for those who have achieved academic merit.

United States

The University Medal is often awarded to the most distinguished undergraduate student upon graduation. In addition to stringent academic criteria, students are also judged on extracurricular activities, publications, and other qualities.

As award for service

In some universities, the University Medal is bestowed upon members of the university for their extraordinary contribution to the University. Such an award is often conferred upon retirement of a staff member.

Notable University Medal winners

Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public university, public research university and member of the Group of Eight (Australian universities), Group of Eight, located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton, A ...

John Quiggin John Quiggin (born 29 March 1956) is an Australian economist, a professor at the University of Queensland. He was formerly an Australian Research Council Laureate Fellow and Federation Fellow and a member of the board of the Climate Change A ...

– Economist; Economics. * Jennifer Robinson – Lawyer; Law

Indira Gandhi Medical College Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital (IGMCH), formerly Himachal Pradesh Medical College, is a public medical college and hospital located in Snowdown area of Lakkar Bazaar, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India. History The college was es ...

* Dr. Sunita Ravikumar - MD; Medicine

Indiana University Bloomington Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington, Indiana University, IU, IUB, or Indiana) is a public university, public research university in Bloomington, Indiana, United States. It is the flagship university, flagship campus of Indiana Univer ...

Elinor Ostrom Elinor Claire "Lin" Ostrom (née Awan; August 7, 1933 – June 12, 2012) was an American Political science, political scientist and Political economy, political economist whose work was associated with New institutional economics, New Institution ...

– Economist; Economics. *

Vincent Ostrom Vincent Alfred Ostrom (September 25, 1919 – June 29, 2012) was an American political economist, the Founding Director of the Ostrom Workshop based at Indiana University, and the Arthur F. Bentley Professor Emeritus of Political Science. He and ...

– Economist; Economics.

Stony Brook University Stony Brook University (SBU), officially the State University of New York at Stony Brook, is a public university, public research university in Stony Brook, New York, United States, on Long Island. Along with the University at Buffalo, it is on ...

Joe Nathan Joseph Michael Nathan (born November 22, 1974) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants, Minnesota Twins, Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers, Detro ...

– Baseball player; Athletics.

University of Queensland The University of Queensland is a Public university, public research university located primarily in Brisbane, the capital city of the Australian state of Queensland. Founded in 1909 by the Queensland parliament, UQ is one of the six sandstone ...

* Joshua Gans – Economist; Economics *

Patrick Keane Patrick Anthony Keane (born 26 October 1952) is an Australian judge currently serving as a non-permanent judge of the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal since 6 April 2023, after his retirement as a Justice of the High Court of Australia. He is ...

– Justice of the High Court of Australia; Law.

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD) is a public university, public research university in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in both Australia and Oceania. One of Australia's six sandstone universities, it was one of the ...

* Sir

Edmund Barton Sir Edmund "Toby" Barton (18 January 18497 January 1920) was an Australian politician, barrister and jurist who served as the first prime minister of Australia from 1901 to 1903. He held office as the leader of the Protectionist Party, before ...

– first Prime Minister of Australia and Justice of the High Court of Australia; Classics. * Sir

Garfield Barwick Sir Garfield Edward John Barwick (22 June 190313 July 1997) was an Australian judge who was the seventh and longest serving Chief Justice of Australia, in office from 1964 to 1981. He had earlier been a Liberal Party politician, serving as a ...

– Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia; Law. * Sir

John Cornforth Sir John Warcup Cornforth Jr., (7 September 1917 – 8 December 2013) was an AustralianBritish chemist who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1975 for his work on the stereochemistry of enzyme- catalysed reactions, becoming the only Nobel l ...

– Organic chemist and Nobel Prize Winner in Chemistry; Chemistry. * "Doc" Evatt – Politician and judge; Philosophy and Law. * Emeritus Professor Hans Freeman – Bio-inorganic chemist and protein crystallographer; Chemistry. * Sir John Kerr – Judge and governor-general; Law. * Sir

Percy Spender Sir Percy Claude Spender (5 October 18973 May 1985) was an Australian politician, diplomat, and judge. He served in the House of Representatives from 1937 to 1951, including as a cabinet minister under Robert Menzies and Arthur Fadden. He was ...

– Jurist and politician; Law. * Major General Sir William John Victor Windeyer – Justice of the High Court and Privy Council * Robert Sinnerbrink; Australian philosopher and Associate Professor of Philosophy at Macquarie University; Philosophy. * Geordie Williamson; – FRS, FAA; mathematician; Geometric Representation Theory; Director of the Sydney Mathematical Research Institute * Sir Cyril Ambrose Walsh, Justice of the High Court and Privy Council, Medals in English, Philosophy and Law at Sydney University * Ms. Lisa Nandi Theunissen, Associate Professor at Rice University;

References

{{authority control Universities in Australia Academic awards

As award on graduation

Australia

Sri Lanka

United States

As award for service

Notable University Medal winners

Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public university, public research university and member of the Group of Eight (Australian universities), Group of Eight, located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton, A ...

Indira Gandhi Medical College Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital (IGMCH), formerly Himachal Pradesh Medical College, is a public medical college and hospital located in Snowdown area of Lakkar Bazaar, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India. History The college was es ...

Indiana University Bloomington Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington, Indiana University, IU, IUB, or Indiana) is a public university, public research university in Bloomington, Indiana, United States. It is the flagship university, flagship campus of Indiana Univer ...

Stony Brook University Stony Brook University (SBU), officially the State University of New York at Stony Brook, is a public university, public research university in Stony Brook, New York, United States, on Long Island. Along with the University at Buffalo, it is on ...

University of Queensland The University of Queensland is a Public university, public research university located primarily in Brisbane, the capital city of the Australian state of Queensland. Founded in 1909 by the Queensland parliament, UQ is one of the six sandstone ...

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD) is a public university, public research university in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in both Australia and Oceania. One of Australia's six sandstone universities, it was one of the ...

See also

References