Harvard faculty move to curb grade inflation with cap on ‘A’ grades

WASHINGTON: Faculty members at Harvard University have approved a new policy to limit the number of “A” grades awarded to undergraduate students, aiming to tackle growing concerns over grade inflation at the elite US institution.

According to the decision passed after hundreds of faculty votes, instructors will be allowed to award A grades to only up to one-fifth of students in a course, along with a maximum of four additional students.

The new grading policy will come into effect from the fall semester of 2027 and is being seen as one of the first major attempts by a top American university to address the issue of grade inflation.

Faculty members believe the increasing number of top grades has weakened academic standards and made it difficult to identify genuine academic excellence among students.

A report released in October by Harvard Dean of Undergraduate Education Amanda Claybaugh warned that grade inflation was harming the university’s academic environment by encouraging students to choose easier courses where they were more likely to secure high grades.

The report revealed that A grades made up 24 per cent of all grades in 2005, rising to 40 per cent in 2015 and reaching 60 percent in 2025.

Amanda Claybaugh described the newly approved policy as an important step toward restoring the purpose of grading and recognizing genuine academic distinction.

Under the new system, there will be no restrictions on grades below an A, including A-minus grades. Harvard also does not award A-plus grades.

During the same voting process, faculty members rejected another proposal that would have allowed instructors to request exemptions from the cap on A grades.