WASHINGTON – A slight dip in the percentage of A grades awarded at Harvard University is signaling a shift after years of grade inflation, with 53.4 percent of grades earning an A in the fall semester, down from 60.2 percent the prior year.
Harvard Cracks Down on A’s—Is Grade Inflation Finally Cooling?
The Ivy League school is taking steps to restore academic rigor, but some faculty worry about the impact on student evaluations.
- Harvard saw a 7 percentage point decrease in A grades awarded this past fall.
- The university is considering adding an A+ grade to better differentiate top students.
- Concerns exist that stricter grading could negatively impact faculty evaluations.
- Grade inflation is a national trend, not unique to Harvard.
The move, praised by the dean of undergraduate education, Professor Amanda Claybaugh, who noted “a number of you tightened up your grading this fall, and your efforts have made a meaningful difference,” comes as universities nationwide grapple with the consequences of increasingly lenient grading standards.
What exactly is driving this change at Harvard? A report issued in October 2025 suggested a potential overhaul of the grading system, including the introduction of an A+ grade—currently not used at the school—to distinguish truly exceptional work and effectively reposition the traditional A as the second-highest achievement.
Grade inflation isn’t confined to Cambridge. Studies have documented a decades-long trend across the country, with critics arguing it diminishes the value of grades, obscures genuine academic excellence, and ultimately weakens educational standards.
Dr. Christopher Schorr of the America First Policy Institute acknowledged the 7 percentage point reduction in A grades at Harvard as a “positive start,” but cautioned that even the new rate “would be absurd a few decades ago.”
Harvard’s Office of Undergraduate Education conducted a comprehensive study of grade inflation in 2025, surveying both students and faculty. The resulting report urged faculty to prioritize “bringing grading back into integrity.” Potential changes beyond the A+ grade include placing greater emphasis on demonstrated subject mastery rather than effort, and incorporating the median grade for each course on student transcripts for context.
While Harvard professors retain “autonomy over grading for their respective courses,” according to a spokesperson for the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the university’s ongoing efforts appear to be encouraging a more discerning approach to assigning A’s.
Sustaining this shift, Schorr emphasized, requires broad and consistent implementation to counter potential pressure to inflate grades. “The greater the scale that these reforms can be initiated, the easier they can be achieved,” he said, adding, “Inside a school, if one professor is known as a harder grader, students will shift to the next course.”
The trend toward higher grades has been dramatic. In 2005, A’s accounted for just 24 percent of all grades at Harvard College. By 2015, that figure had risen to 40.3 percent, continuing its ascent to 62.8 percent in 2020-2021 before settling at just over 60 percent in 2025.
According to the October 2025 report, Harvard defines an A as representing work of “extraordinary distinction” demonstrating “full mastery of the subject.”
Princeton University attempted to address grade inflation in 2004 by recommending limits on the proportion of A’s awarded, which initially lowered grades. However, students expressed concerns that the scarcity of A’s increased stress and discouraged collaboration. The policy was abandoned in 2014, and the number of top grades subsequently surged, reaching 45.5 percent in 2025.
The Harvard report revealed widespread faculty concerns about grading practices. “Faculty newly arrived at Harvard are surprised at how leniently our courses are graded,” the report concluded, “and those who have taught here for a long time are struck by the difference from the recent past.”
One contributing factor to grade inflation is the potential link between grades and student evaluations of professors. Faculty members reportedly worry that stricter grading could lead to negative evaluations, impacting their performance reviews, job prospects, and tenure applications. The competitive pressure to attract students may also incentivize professors to maintain a reputation for lenient grading.
In her recent communication to faculty, Professor Claybaugh sought to alleviate these concerns, stating, “We recognise and appreciate your efforts to restore rigour.”
A Harvard faculty committee is currently reviewing grading policies and will propose new guidelines, with proposals expected early in the spring semester and a faculty vote anticipated by the end of the term.
