At present, the departmental examination committees at TU/e award the degree certificate ‘cum laude’ when the unweighted arithmetic average achieved by the student for the study components passed is a grade eight or higher. In addition, the final project for the Bachelor's (BEP) must be awarded a nine or higher. None of the study components that the student has taken on the program may be awarded a grade lower than a six. As yet there is no time limit.

On Monday during the discussion of the new Program and Examination Regulations (OER) at the meeting of the University Council a time criterion was added to the criteria for awarding a cum laude designation. With effect from the academic year 2017-2018, the OER stipulates that a Bachelor's student who is eligible for the cum laude may have spent no longer than 48 months completing his or her Bachelor's degree. However, where a delay has arisen, the examination committee is entitled in exceptional circumstances, such as illness, to waive this requirement.The proposal, which was made by Professor Lex Lemmens, Dean of the Bachelor College, states that this step will safeguard the value of the designation and that it is intended to prevent students endlessly sitting retakes in order to achieve the necessary grade average.