Harvard faculty votes to limit A grades

Washington Post -   Harvard faculty voted to cap the number of A grades given to undergraduates, taking assertive action to reverse years of grade inflation at a time of intense scrutiny of higher education. 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.”

Universities have long been worried about grades creeping up, but have found it difficult to change. Some schools have tried various measures, then backtracked. Discussions about grading are happening at Yale University as well, with a presidential committee on trust at Yale recently recommending a B average, or some other collegewide standard.

Princeton University capped A’s more than 20 years ago but lifted the policy in 2014, after finding it added a lot of stress to students.

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.