At Harvard, everyone's an A student — and that's the problem

Harvard College students are earning more top grades than ever, but the College’s grading system is “failing to perform the key functions of grading,” according to a report released Monday by the Office of Undergraduate Education.

The 25-page report, circulated to faculty and students, and accessed by The Harvard Srimson, revealed that more than 60 percent of undergraduate grades are now A’s — a sharp increase from around 25 percent two decades ago. The report concluded that grade inflation is “damaging the academic culture of the College.”

Dean of Undergraduate Education Amanda Claybaugh, who authored the report, said reforms are needed to “restore the integrity of our grading and return the academic culture of the College to what it was in the recent past.”

Faculty Committee Weighs New Grading Measures
A faculty committee is considering changes such as allowing instructors to award a limited number of A+ grades and listing the median grade for each course on student transcripts. The goal, according to the report, is to address grade inflation and bring more transparency to academic evaluation.

Claybaugh’s report follows earlier discussions on grading trends. Two years ago, she presented similar findings to Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences. In January, a faculty committee observed that students often prioritize extracurricular activities over academics.

Grades Rose Rapidly During Pandemic
The report found that grade inflation accelerated after 2015 and surged during the pandemic years of remote learning. The median Harvard College GPA has remained at an A since 2016–17. The Class of 2015 graduated with a median GPA of 3.64, while the Class of 2025 recorded 3.83.

Claybaugh wrote, “Our grading is too compressed and too inflated, as nearly all faculty recognize; it is also too inconsistent, as students have observed. More importantly, our grading no longer performs its primary functions and is undermining our academic mission.”

Student Effort Remains Steady
The report found that the average number of hours students spend on coursework has remained stable over two decades. In spring 2025, students reported an average of 6.46 hours per week on coursework outside class, compared to 5.85 hours in 2015.

“Workload is notoriously difficult to measure, but our data suggest that students are working as hard as they ever have — if not more,” Claybaugh wrote.

However, faculty members in reading-heavy disciplines reported reducing course material due to complaints about workload. Some instructors said they now assign fewer or shorter readings to manage student feedback.

Factors Behind Grade Inflation
The report linked rising grades to multiple pressures. Faculty members worry that stricter grading could hurt their course evaluations, while students are becoming “increasingly litigious” about grades.

Claybaugh also cited efforts to support students with varying levels of preparation. “For the past decade or so, the College has been exhorting faculty to remember that some students arrive less prepared for college than others,” she wrote. “Unsure how best to support their students, many have simply become more lenient.”

Recommendations for Reform
The report proposed several steps to curb grade inflation. Claybaugh recommended that instructors define grading standards clearly, hold in-person exams, and standardize grading across course sections.

“Seated exams are prudent in this age of Generative AI,” she wrote. “They are also useful for encouraging students to engage with all course materials, and they tend to produce a broader distribution of grades.”

Other suggestions include permitting a limited number of A+ grades and listing each course’s median grade on transcripts. Claybaugh said such measures could help distinguish top performers and provide clearer academic signals.

“Permitting faculty to award a limited number of A+s in each course would increase the information our grades provide by distinguishing the very best students,” she wrote.

The proposed changes will require faculty discussion and formal approval before implementation.