what do you call a student who gets the highest marks in his class in university

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for example is it possible to use I was first on my batch that year . or I was first in my class ...... or I ranked first in my class ...... I am asking because in our country during university study the ten students with the highest marks were considered to have passed with distinction , so in a rough translation , one would proudly say to his parents for example : Hey mom , I came out second on my school this year ! What is the equivalent in English ? (such inquiries are necessary for people who learned english from books without actually LIVING in english)