Harvard Faculty Approve Grade Cap

Why this is here: Faculty reduced the share of A grades by nearly seven percentage points in the fall semester before voting on this more ambitious cap.

Harvard University faculty in Cambridge, Massachusetts voted to cap A grades at 20 percent of enrollment, starting in fall 2027. The vote, 458 to 201, represents the College’s strongest effort in decades to address grade inflation. Faculty also approved using percentile rankings for internal awards, passing 498 to 157.

The decision follows warnings from Dean of Undergraduate Education Amanda Claybaugh that Harvard’s grading system no longer effectively distinguished exceptional work. Over 60 percent of grades awarded in the 2024-25 academic year were A’s, prompting this intervention.

However, faculty rejected a measure allowing courses to opt out of the cap if using a different grading scale. Students largely opposed the plan, with about 85 percent expressing disapproval in a February survey.

The approved policy underwent several revisions, including delaying implementation and adding a “satisfactory-plus” grade option. The long-term effects on student behavior and course selection remain unclear.

Claybaugh views the vote as a step toward strengthening academic culture and hopes other institutions will consider similar reforms.