University of Michigan is reframing the freshman report card
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Incoming freshmen at the University of Michigan can leave one thing off their checklist of “firsts” next year: a first-semester GPA.
Starting in fall 2027, all first-year students in Michigan’s College of Literature, Science, and the Arts—which enrolls ~50% of the university’s ~8,000 incoming freshmen—will receive “pass” or “no credit” marks on their transcripts during their first semester, with their usual letter grades hidden.
The marks aren’t disappearing entirely. Professors will still assign letter grades internally to determine eligibility for scholarships and academic awards, but they won’t appear on students’ transcripts or count toward their GPA as part of the pilot program.
What’s behind the move?
The University of Michigan says the pilot program is designed to help students acclimate to the demands of college, pursue classes based more on their interests, and “curb the mental health crisis unfolding among college-aged individuals.”
Supporters argue the protected semester could give freshmen more room to explore academically without worrying that one rough class will follow their GPA around for years.
- Michigan history professor Derek Peterson, a former chair of the faculty government, says today’s students face added stress from social media, weaker job prospects, and broader economic uncertainty.
- He argues that temporarily protecting their GPAs could encourage academic experimentation without hurting future employment prospects.
On the flip side: The policy has faced immediate criticism from people who argue that shielding students from hard feedback delays necessary skill corrections, and isn’t good preparation for workplaces and post-grad programs where students will have to deal with low marks or criticism.
- Critics also question whether reducing the importance of grades is the right response when universities are already confronting concerns over students arriving unprepared for college-level work.
- At UC San Diego, some 8.5% of students required elementary- or middle-school math remediation before taking precalculus in 2025, up from 0.5% in 2020.
Meanwhile…Some people, like former Michigan professor Kenneth Lowande, argue rampant grade inflation in recent years has already made grades largely irrelevant as a measure of academic excellence.
- Some 74.1% of undergraduate grades at Michigan in 2022 were an A+, A, or A-, up from 57.6% a decade earlier.
- Harvard faculty recently approved a 20% cap on A’s per undergraduate course in an effort to curb grade inflation, after the schoolwide proportion of A grades rose from 25% to 60% from 2006-25.
Zoom out: Michigan joins several other elite universities that have adopted policies that mask official letter grades on student transcripts. The list includes MIT, which currently gives first-semester freshmen Pass/No Record grades, and Caltech, which uses pass/fail grading for many first-year courses during students’ first two terms.
📊 Flash poll: Do you support or oppose the University of Michigan’s move to mask official letter grades for incoming freshmen in their first semester?
See a 360° view of what pundits are saying →
Sprinkles from the Left
- Some commentators argue that Harvard’s cap on A grades is unlikely to address the deeper problems with how universities measure student achievement, instead creating more competition and placing greater emphasis on letter grades that don’t fully capture students’ learning, skills, or accomplishments.
- Others contend that grade inflation has become so widespread that professors face pressure to award higher marks regardless of differences in student performance, making broader grading standards necessary to reduce those pressures and restore the value of grades as a meaningful measure of academic achievement.
- “Harvard’s new cap on ‘A’ grades is doomed to fail” –Joshua Eyler, The Hill
- “I’m a College Professor Inflating Grades. I Need Help.” –Frank Bruni, New York Times
- “Shouldn’t a diploma mean students are ready for college or work?” –Seattle Times Editorial Board
Sprinkles from the Right
- Some commentators argue that widespread grade inflation at Harvard has made it harder to distinguish between different levels of academic achievement, reinforcing the need for a cap on A’s that encourages higher standards and rewards students for exceptional performance.
- Others contend that grade inflation has grown as student evaluations give professors an incentive to award higher marks and avoid being seen as tough graders, weakening academic standards and making it harder for grades to distinguish students based on merit and achievement.
- “Harvard’s grade inflation experiment” –Washington Post Editorial Board
- “The Economic Roots of Grade Inflation” –Joseph Epstein, Wall Street Journal
- “Easier admission isn’t what CCSD graduates need most” –Las Vegas Review-Journal Editorial Board
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