When an “A” used to mean something
Last year at Harvard, 66 percent of grades were an A, and 84 percent of grades were either an A or A-. This has set off concerns about grade inflation and some of the bad incentives that might emerge from such a system; for instance, if an A is the expectation, students may feel pressured to avoid courses that have a reputation for challenging them or are outside their comfort zone. The A situation at Harvard has at times reached farcical levels; the Sophia Freund Prize goes to the graduating senior with the highest GPA, and in the past, the prize went to one student or occasionally two if there was a tie. In 2025, there was a 55-way tie. Some professors want to cap the percentage of flat A’s at 33 percent, while allowing as many A- as needed.
Comments