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At one of the most prestigious universities in the world — Harvard University — changes are being discussed that could seriously affect the student grading system. The issue is an attempt to solve a problem that is increasingly talked about in academic circles: too many excellent grades! In recent years, Harvard has seen a noticeable increase in high academic scores: according to internal data, in the last academic year approximately 60% of all grades were «A».
For comparison: back in the mid-2000s, they accounted for approximately 25%.
This phenomenon is called grade inflation: high scores become the baseline norm and cease to reflect the actual level of knowledge. To restore meaning and value to the system, the university has proposed a fairly strict measure: limiting the number of top grades in each course. In more detail, the plan looks like this:
- No more than 20% of students will be able to receive an «A»,
- An instructor will be able to add a maximum of four such grades above the limit.
A new approach to assessing academic performance is also being discussed in parallel. For example, instead of the familiar GPA, they may begin using a system based on students' actual scores, that is, based on the average percentage indicator.
If the changes are approved, they will not take effect before autumn 2027.
The majority of students do not support the innovation: according to survey results, approximately 94% of students are against it. The main concerns of Harvard students:
- Competition will increase,
- Stress levels will rise,
- Grades will depend not only on knowledge, but also on quotas.
The student newspaper The Harvard Crimson also criticized the idea, saying that it does not address the root of the problem. However, there is no unified opinion among faculty:
- Some support the reform as a way to bring order to the system and restore value to high grades
- Others believe that students will avoid difficult courses, teaching flexibility will decrease, and new restrictions will emerge for the instructors themselves.
An interesting fact: a similar experiment was already carried out at Princeton University — there, a cap on «excellent» grades was introduced in 2004, but was abandoned 10 years later.
The situation at Harvard is a good example of how even the world's top universities are rethinking their approaches to education in real time. Also the main question here is much broader than just grades: how to ensure that a diploma truly reflects knowledge, and not just a GPA? As of now, the final decision has not been made — a faculty vote lies ahead. But it is already clear that the debate about the significance of grades in global education is gaining momentum.
