Kamal Ghorui
Harvard faculty awarded significantly fewer A grades in the fall term after the College encouraged instructors to address grade inflation, leading to a sharp reduction in top marks across courses.An internal email sent to Faculty of Arts and Sciences instructors explained that the share of flat As fell from 60.2 percent in the 2024-2025 academic year to 53.4 percent in the fall, according to details obtained by the Harvard Crimson.Push to curb grade inflationThe message came from Dean of Undergraduate Education Amanda Claybaugh, who acknowledged that tougher grading had raised concerns among instructors about teaching evaluations, known as Q reports, and course enrolments.Claybaugh sought to reassure faculty that the College would support stricter standards, writing “I know some instructors saw lower Q scores”, she wrote. She added that reviews consider difficulty scores and median grades alongside evaluations, according to Claybaugh quoted by the Harvard Crimson.Faculty autonomy and institutional backingDespite the decline, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences said it had not expressly instructed instructors to lower grades. Spokesperson James M. Chisholm said faculty retain control over grading in their courses, in a statement referenced in conversation with the Harvard Crimson.The fall shift followed a 25-page report released by Claybaugh in October 2025 that warned grade inflation had weakened the College’s ability to perform key grading functions and called for tighter academic measures.Possible changes under reviewThe report encouraged steps such as standardised grading across sections and a return to in-person final exams. It also outlined options under consideration, including limiting A+ grades, listing course median grades on transcripts, and developing a variance-based grading system for internal use.Claybaugh told instructors that a faculty committee reviewing grading policies would release proposals early in the spring semester, with a Faculty of Arts and Sciences vote planned by the end of the term, according to an email seen by the Harvard Crimson.Student involvement and concernsStudents were simultaneously invited to share views on grading reforms, with Claybaugh writing that town halls would be held once proposals are finalised. She noted that student feedback had already influenced committee discussions, as conveyed by Claybaugh in dialogue with the Harvard Crimson.While grades have risen over decades, the changes have prompted unease among undergraduates who worry about graduate admissions and employment outcomes. Those concerns were documented in the October report and echoed in student conversations cited by the Harvard Crimson. The fall figures reflect only flat As and do not include A-minus grades. The data cover the 2024-2025 academic year comparison used by the College in its internal assessment. No final decisions have yet been disclosed about which proposals will advance to a faculty vote this semester.
