Salutatorian vs. Valedictorian — What's the Difference?

Salutatorian is an academic title given in the United States, Armenia, and the Philippines to the second-highest-ranked graduate of the entire graduating class of a specific discipline. Only the valedictorian is ranked higher.

Valedictorian is an academic title of success used in the United States, Canada, Kuwait, Egypt, Philippines, and Greece (and elsewhere in a limited number of schools) for the student who delivers the closing or farewell statement at a graduation ceremony (called a valediction). The chosen valedictorian is traditionally the student with the highest academic standing among their graduating class, and that standing is commonly determined by a numerical formula for Grade Point Average (GPA), but other methods of selection are also in use.

The student with the second highest academic rank in a class who delivers the salutatory at graduation exercises.

The student with the highest academic rank in a class who delivers the valedictory at graduation.

The person who graduates high school with the second-highest GPA and thus gets to give the salutatory address during the graduation ceremony.

The individual in a graduating class who delivers the farewell or valedictory address, often the person who graduates with the highest grades.

The student who pronounces the salutatory oration at the annual Commencement or like exercises of a college, - an honor commonly assigned to that member of the graduating class who ranks second in scholarship.

The individual in a graduating class who graduates with the highest grades.

The graduating student with the second highest academic rank; delivers the opening address at graduation exercises

One who pronounces a valedictory address; especially, in American colleges, the student who pronounces the valedictory of the graduating class at the annual commencement, usually the student who ranks first in scholarship.

The student with the best grades who delivers the valedictory at graduation