Harvard considers capping A’s to curb grade inflation

[Anonymous]

I remember when this came out last year. Those poor, poor Harvard students:

Sophie Chumburidze ’29 said the report felt dismissive of students’ hard work and academic struggles.

“The whole entire day, I was crying,” she said. “I skipped classes on Monday, and I was just sobbing in bed because I felt like I try so hard in my classes, and my grades aren’t even the best.”

“It just felt soul-crushing,” she added. . . .

“It makes me rethink my decision to come to the school,” she said. “I killed myself all throughout high school to try and get into this school. I was looking forward to being fulfilled by my studies now, rather than being killed by them.”

Zahra Rohaninejad ’29 added that grading already felt harsh and raising standards further would only erode students’ ability to enjoy their classes.

“I can’t reach my maximum level of enjoyment just learning the material because I’m so anxious about the midterm, so anxious about the papers, and because I know it’s so harshly graded,” she said. “If that standard is raised even more, it’s unrealistic to assume that people will enjoy their classes.” . . .

Hudson C. McCarthy ’29, a member of the men’s lacrosse team, said the report ignored the realities faced by student-athletes.

“It’s doing students a disservice because it’s not really accounting for what we have to do on a day to day basis, and how many hours we’re putting into our team, our bodies, and then also school,” he said.

https://www.wsj.com/opinion/notable-quotable-harvard-c4557cfe?st=W7PURW&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I remember when this came out last year. Those poor, poor Harvard students:

Sophie Chumburidze ’29 said the report felt dismissive of students’ hard work and academic struggles.

“The whole entire day, I was crying,” she said. “I skipped classes on Monday, and I was just sobbing in bed because I felt like I try so hard in my classes, and my grades aren’t even the best.”

“It just felt soul-crushing,” she added. . . .

“It makes me rethink my decision to come to the school,” she said. “I killed myself all throughout high school to try and get into this school. I was looking forward to being fulfilled by my studies now, rather than being killed by them.”

Zahra Rohaninejad ’29 added that grading already felt harsh and raising standards further would only erode students’ ability to enjoy their classes.

“I can’t reach my maximum level of enjoyment just learning the material because I’m so anxious about the midterm, so anxious about the papers, and because I know it’s so harshly graded,” she said. “If that standard is raised even more, it’s unrealistic to assume that people will enjoy their classes.” . . .

Hudson C. McCarthy ’29, a member of the men’s lacrosse team, said the report ignored the realities faced by student-athletes.

“It’s doing students a disservice because it’s not really accounting for what we have to do on a day to day basis, and how many hours we’re putting into our team, our bodies, and then also school,” he said.

https://www.wsj.com/opinion/notable-quotable-harvard-c4557cfe?st=W7PURW&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

Lol this is embarrassing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I remember when this came out last year. Those poor, poor Harvard students:

Sophie Chumburidze ’29 said the report felt dismissive of students’ hard work and academic struggles.

“The whole entire day, I was crying,” she said. “I skipped classes on Monday, and I was just sobbing in bed because I felt like I try so hard in my classes, and my grades aren’t even the best.”

“It just felt soul-crushing,” she added. . . .

“It makes me rethink my decision to come to the school,” she said. “I killed myself all throughout high school to try and get into this school. I was looking forward to being fulfilled by my studies now, rather than being killed by them.”

Zahra Rohaninejad ’29 added that grading already felt harsh and raising standards further would only erode students’ ability to enjoy their classes.

“I can’t reach my maximum level of enjoyment just learning the material because I’m so anxious about the midterm, so anxious about the papers, and because I know it’s so harshly graded,” she said. “If that standard is raised even more, it’s unrealistic to assume that people will enjoy their classes.” . . .

Hudson C. McCarthy ’29, a member of the men’s lacrosse team, said the report ignored the realities faced by student-athletes.

“It’s doing students a disservice because it’s not really accounting for what we have to do on a day to day basis, and how many hours we’re putting into our team, our bodies, and then also school,” he said.

https://www.wsj.com/opinion/notable-quotable-harvard-c4557cfe?st=W7PURW&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

Yikes, this does not make Harvard students of today look good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Humorous reaction from the UChicago DD: “20 percent is such a good deal!”

Chicago has pretty good inflation and no cap. 20% sucks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All you need is the degree. no one asks about your gpa

Everyone asks about your gpa. Even jobs do now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What happened to the days when students at top colleges were warned from the beginning that they would no longer be at the top of their class because everyone else also came from the top of their class?? I remember being warned about this in a first year orientation speech at my SLAC 30 years ago…

It's still true. There are a lot more high school valedictorians in Harvard than Harvard 4.0 students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The average A has devalued approximately 88% since 1970.

Not just because of grade inflation, though, but because the quality of student work has actually massively decreased (ie what earns an A in 2026 would never have done so when I was in college back in the 1990s). And this statement is true at just about every school, not just at Harvard

Maybe in the humanities, but not in STEM

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I remember when this came out last year. Those poor, poor Harvard students:

Sophie Chumburidze ’29 said the report felt dismissive of students’ hard work and academic struggles.

“The whole entire day, I was crying,” she said. “I skipped classes on Monday, and I was just sobbing in bed because I felt like I try so hard in my classes, and my grades aren’t even the best.”

“It just felt soul-crushing,” she added. . . .

“It makes me rethink my decision to come to the school,” she said. “I killed myself all throughout high school to try and get into this school. I was looking forward to being fulfilled by my studies now, rather than being killed by them.”

Zahra Rohaninejad ’29 added that grading already felt harsh and raising standards further would only erode students’ ability to enjoy their classes.

“I can’t reach my maximum level of enjoyment just learning the material because I’m so anxious about the midterm, so anxious about the papers, and because I know it’s so harshly graded,” she said. “If that standard is raised even more, it’s unrealistic to assume that people will enjoy their classes.” . . .

Hudson C. McCarthy ’29, a member of the men’s lacrosse team, said the report ignored the realities faced by student-athletes.

“It’s doing students a disservice because it’s not really accounting for what we have to do on a day to day basis, and how many hours we’re putting into our team, our bodies, and then also school,” he said.

https://www.wsj.com/opinion/notable-quotable-harvard-c4557cfe?st=W7PURW&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

Embarrassing for Harvard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All you need is the degree. no one asks about your gpa

Everyone asks about your gpa. Even jobs do now.

They always ask. I had to send in college transcripts for on campus recruiting 20 years ago.

[Anonymous]

We always ask for GPA, and we have noticed since COVID that nearly every applicant is summa cum laude, which is ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We always ask for GPA, and we have noticed since COVID that nearly every applicant is summa cum laude, which is ridiculous.

Interestingly, I think Harvard does cap Summa at X% of the class and any latin honors at a certain percentage of the class, so it's actually more useful than GPA.

[Anonymous]

Harvard students response to the capping of A’s

https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2026/2/7/students-slam-grading-proposal/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
A recent report found that a majority of grades given out at Harvard were A’s. Professors will vote on a proposal to limit the number to around 20 percent.



https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/06/us/harvard-grade-inflation.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share


However, there is concern about increasing student stress and competition as a result of capping A’s.

This is insanity. If students can’t handle stress and competition then why go to such colleges? Just to reduce student stress everyone should get As.. crazy

It is stupid. Only the best and brightest go to Harvard. It tracks that they would achieve. There’s zero reason to artificially impose a bell curve.

That's only true to a point, given the large numbers of athletic recruits, legacies, and FGLI admits. I'm sure they're perfectly bright, but "best and brightest" should be qualified. More than half of the entire student body getting As is absurd.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When did grades get SO inflated? A's (versus A-s and B+s) were still reasonably difficult to get 20 years ago. I graduated about 20 years ago and not a single person in my class had straight As (meaning they got all As and not a single A-; there were no A+ grades given so straight As is perfect).

Good question. I think it's lazy professors tbh. The more As, the less feedback they need to give. Or grad TAs giving lots of As to please students because they need good teaching evals.

Actually, no: the answer is serious entitlement on the part of students and their snowplow parents which starts way before college

+1

I think it's all of the above.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So how does this work in STEM classes? So now professors have to manufacture tests so that it somehow only gives 20% of students As?

It's one thing discussing humanities but when you are talking about Calculus, Chemistry or Biology, how does this even work? Students should be given grades based on what they deserve, particularly when the subject is objective. This sounds like a nightmare policy in the making.

How is this any different than the curve that was in place? When I attended HYP several profs stated As were capped at 10% of the class, period.