Harvard Struggles to Curb Runaway Grade Inflation

A newly highlighted internal report from Harvard University reveals that the institution is failing to perform the basic functions of grading, with faculty admitting that lenient standards have severely damaged academic culture. The median GPA at graduation has climbed from 3.29 in 1985 to 3.83 last year. Today, roughly 60 percent of all grades awarded at the college are A's, a massive surge from just 26 percent two decades ago. Before recent efforts to address the issue, the average GPA sat at 3.8, with 79 percent of grades falling in the A range.

This rampant inflation has stripped grades of their ability to motivate students or communicate actual mastery of course materials. Because straight A's have become the default expectation, students report feeling intense anxiety over the prospect of receiving even a single B. Rather than focusing on their coursework, ambitious undergraduates are shifting their energy toward extracurricular activities to distinguish themselves for future employers. To curb this trend, one proposal suggests capping A grades in each course at 20 percent of enrollment plus four, while evaluating graduation honors using average percentile rank.

The crisis of standards extends beyond Ivy League grading to standardized testing and admissions. Research by Raj Chetty, David Deming, and John Friedman shows that relying solely on SAT scores for elite admissions would drop the share of students from the top 1 percent of income from 15.8 percent to 9.9 percent, while increasing representation from families earning under $200,000 by 8.8 percent. Meanwhile, the rise of disability accommodations has further complicated testing; at Harvard and Brown, more than 20 percent of undergraduates are registered as disabled, a figure that reaches 34 percent at Amherst.

For educators and practitioners, these shifting metrics highlight a systemic breakdown in how academic achievement is measured and rewarded. When institutions fail to differentiate top performers, the value of the credential itself is compromised, forcing both students and employers to look outside the classroom for meaningful signals of capability.