Grade inflation has been a problem at all levels of education but some of the Ivy League schools have been hit particularly hard. This week, faculty at Harvard voted to cap the number of A grades that students can receive.
Harvard faculty voted to cap the number of A grades given to undergraduates, hoping to reverse years of grade inflation with a mandated change.
The vote, reported Wednesday, is the most prominent symbol of a reckoning at some elite schools concerned by the increasing number of A’s — a widespread issue that some faculty members warn is fundamentally damaging the integrity of education.
“This is a consequential vote,” said Amanda Claybaugh, dean of undergraduate education. “It will, I believe, strengthen the academic culture of Harvard; it will also, I hope, encourage other institutions to confront similar questions with the same level of rigor and courage.”
The problem at Harvard has been especially severe. A decade ago, about a third of students received A’s in their classes. But in the past few years that figure has doubled.
At Harvard, the trend is stark: In the 2012-13 academic year, about a third of the grades were A’s — a grade intended to indicate not just full mastery of the subject, according to the student handbook, but work of “extraordinary distinction.” In the 2024-25 academic year, two-thirds were A’s.
Almost 85 percent of grades were either a straight A or an A-minus.
A prize for graduating seniors with the highest grade-point averages that had just one or two awardees for years shot up to 55 last year, according to a committee’s proposal to update grading policies. And to determine summa cum laude honors, officials need to carry grade-point averages out to five decimal places.
Nearly all of the students accepted at Harvard had perfect or near perfect grade point averages in high school. Anyone who got more than on B in their high school years would be unlikely to get in. So, obviously those students expected that trend to continue in college. Plus, in the era of the internet, professors also have a vested interest in bowing to pressure to give everyone an A.
How did this happen at Harvard? The reasons, the dean of undergraduate education wrote in a recent report, were many. As median grades rose, it incentivized students to choose courses perceived as easier A’s that would not harm their GPAs. And faculty, while concerned that grading had gotten out of hand, had incentives not to evaluate more harshly; student course evaluations and low enrollments might affect their job prospects and tenure chances.
Basically, everyone benefits if teachers give most students an A. The students are more likely to get placement for tough law or medical schools and the professors are more likely to get promoted and earn tenure thanks to the glowing reviews. On the other hand, harder grading is tougher on the students who have to struggle for a high grade and tougher on the faculty who have to deal with complaints and harsh reviews from angry students who don’t get one. So of course, over time, the whole system naturally slid toward A’s for all.
The vote by 70% of the faculty to put a cap on A’s seems (to me at least) to be primarily aimed at protecting faculty rather than students. After all, it is possible that half the students in a small class might do exceptional work. Some of those kids are now going to get A- grades simply because of the cap, which doesn’t seem right.
What the cap will do is help faculty say no and justify having 80% of grades be something other than an A. So when the complaints and special pleading start during office hours, those professors have a ready made excuse: I can’t give out any more A’s even if I wanted to. Sorry.
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