Here's why:
* Latin phrases are often treated as proper nouns: They represent specific concepts or awards, similar to how we capitalize names of people or places.
* Academic tradition: In academic contexts, Latin phrases used for honors or degrees are often capitalized to maintain consistency and formality.
However, there are some exceptions:
* When used in a general sense: If "magna cum laude" is used descriptively or casually, it might not be capitalized. For example, "The student graduated with magna cum laude honors."
* In specific style guides: Some style guides may have their own rules regarding capitalization of Latin phrases.
In most cases, it's safe to capitalize "magna cum laude" and other similar Latin phrases.