Harvard Faculty Votes to Cap A Grades at 20 Percent

Harvard University faculty voted to cap the share of A grades at 20 percent per class. The measure aims to reduce grade inflation documented in a 2025 report from the Harvard Office of Undergraduate Education. The same report showed A grades rose from less than 25 percent two decades ago to 40 percent ten years ago and reached 60 percent in 2025.

Under the new rule, an A will represent a smaller share of total grades issued.

Rothberg, founder of College Recruiter, said the previous distribution made it difficult to identify stronger performers. 0 GPA had become a less useful signal because many applicants shared identical marks. Jerry Lee, founder of Wonsolting, welcomed the change. 0.

Hyman, chief executive of Recruit Rockstars, said pressure from students and parents paying high tuition could discourage other universities from adopting similar caps. A 2026 National Association of Colleges and Employers report found that 42 percent of employers used GPA for screening, down from 73 percent in 2019.

Rothberg noted that GPA has moved from one of the most important hiring criteria to one of the least important over the past five to ten years. 0 at some peer institutions.