Harvard University could limit A's so grades are "meaningful" again, report says
A faculty committee at Harvard University has proposed limiting the number of A's awarded to students.
The "proposal for updating grading policies," obtained by The Harvard Crimson, suggests a 20% cap on A grades, while giving faculty the option of offering four additional A's per class. There would be no limitation on the number of A-'s or other grades.
"The underlying problems with grading ramify in high levels of grade inflation," the Subcommittee on Grading wrote.
The report goes on to say that employers and admissions offices at graduate schools say Harvard transcripts "no longer provide them useful information" because so many students are getting A's.
WBZ-TV has reached out to the university for comment.
The report said grade inflation is nothing new at Harvard and has been in fact been going on for "over a century." But the report says it's risen to a new level in recent years, with A's making up two-thirds of letter grades awarded in the last academic year. Comparatively, only 35% of grades were A's in 2012-2013.
The proliferation of A's has made grade point averages, or GPA, less meaningful, the report added, saying "continuing to use GPA as the primary metric for comparing students' academic performance is no longer defensible." Instead it says using "percentile rank" to compare students to each other is a better system to use when awarding academic honors or determining eligibility for fellowships and scholarships.
"Together, these initiatives are intended to restore grades to their role as meaningful indicators of student performance and feedback, and to support the central academic mission of Harvard College: teaching and learning," the report said.
If approved by a full faculty vote, the new grading system would take effect in the 2026-2027 academic year, The Crimson reports.
Harvard was recently ranked No. 6 in a Time magazine ranking of "The World's Top Universities of 2026."
