Archive · 19 Nov 2025
Harvard's Grade Inflation: A's Abound, Students Protest
Harvard and other schools are giving out too many A's, making it hard for students to stand out.
Students are upset about this, but some experts say it's because schools are admitting too many students who might not be ready for college.
Harvard is trying to find ways to fix this, but it's a big problem that's happening at many schools.
Over 60% of grades at Harvard are now A's, up from 25% two decades ago
Median GPA at graduation is 3.83, with an A as the median since 2016
Harvard students protest against stricter academic standards
Grade inflation is not limited to Harvard, affecting many institutions
Proposed solutions include limiting A+ grades and reporting median class grades
- Who
- Harvard University students and faculty
- What
- Experiencing grade inflation
- When
- Over the past two decades, with a recent report in 2025
- Where
- Harvard University and other institutions
- Why
- Potential reasons include admitting smarter students, less rigorous courses, and lenient grading systems
Students' Perspective
Dean Amanda Claybaugh's Perspective
Strict academic standards
Students' Perspective
Threaten students' mental health
Dean Amanda Claybaugh's Perspective
Misaligned with the quality of student work
Grading harshness
Students' Perspective
Anxiety-inducing, unrealistic
Dean Amanda Claybaugh's Perspective
Needs to be restored to reflect student performance
- Percentage of A's at Harvard in 2024-25
- Over 60%
- Median GPA at Harvard graduation in 1985
- 3.29
- Median GPA at Harvard graduation in 2025
- 3.83
- Percentage of A's or A-minuses at Yale in 2023
- Nearly 80%
- Increase in median college GPA from 1990 to 2020
- 21.5%