Harvard will cap number of A grades awarded, in what university calls "a major step to fix" inflation
Harvard University faculty members voted to cap the number of A's awarded to students, a grading change aimed at making student marks more meaningful.
By a vote of 458 to 201, faculty approved a measure that caps the number of A grades at 20%, plus four additional per class, the university confirmed Wednesday. There is no limit to the number of A minuses or other grades that can be awarded. A separate measure that would have allowed courses to opt out of the cap was rejected, 364 to 292.
The new policy, which only applies to undergraduate students, goes into effect in the fall of 2027 and will be reassessed after three years.
Why the grading change at Harvard?
In a statement, members of the Subcommittee on Grading said it was a critical policy for students because "[a] Harvard A grade will now tell them, as well as employers and graduate schools, something real about what a student has achieved."
Harvard began considering the change after the subcommittee found that too many students were getting A's. They said employers and graduate school admissions offices said Harvard transcripts "no longer provide them useful information."
"Today the Harvard faculty voted to make their grades mean what they say they mean. For decades, grade inflation has been a collective-action problem: everyone saw it, but no one faculty member could fix it alone. The faculty have now taken a major step to fix it together," the subcommittee said.
Students react to Harvard grade cap
Some students told WBZ-TV they were concerned it would create a more competitive environment. "It just seems like more of a competition and it's like already a competition to be there," said student Abidah Shaikh.
"I think it's just really harmful for like a classroom environment," said student Tallulah Paris.
Harvard Business School student Rachel Carp worries it may leave students applying for graduate programs at a disadvantage. "I wonder if the med schools and the law schools and other sort of rigorous grad school programs would also understand, and potentially have a lower GPA expectation," Carp said.
According to a university report, A's accounted for 60% of the grades awarded to undergraduate students in 2025. That was up from 40% in 2015 and 20% in 2005.
Amanda Claybaugh, dean of undergraduate education at Harvard, praised the change.
"This is a consequential vote. 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," Claybaugh said. "This vote is an important step toward ensuring that our grading system better serves its central purposes: giving students meaningful feedback, recognizing genuine distinction, and sustaining the academic mission of the College."
Harvard University Association co-presidents Zach Berg and Daniel Zhao in a statement expressed disappointment that students were not consulted more during the process.
"Although we recognize the issue with the status quo, we are disappointed that student voices have not been centered throughout the decision-making process," they said. "However, we will continue to fight for students' academic interests over the coming year about how we can best prepare students before this comes into effect in the 2027 academic year."
