Harvard Faculty Votes to Limit A Grades Starting in 2027

Harvard University's Faculty of Arts and Sciences voted earlier this month to limit the share of A grades awarded in undergraduate courses. The new rule, announced Wednesday, allows instructors in letter-graded courses to award A grades to no more than 20 percent of students in a class, plus four additional students. Other letter grades, including A-minus, remain unlimited.

University data cited by faculty members showed that more than 60 percent of undergraduate grades in recent years fell in the A range. Faculty members supporting the measure said the change would ensure grades convey meaningful information to students, employers, and graduate schools. U.S. Department of Education.

Faculty also approved a shift to average percentile rank instead of grade-point average for honors, prizes, and awards. A proposal to let courses opt out of the A-grade cap through a satisfactory/unsatisfactory system did not pass. D. programs. The policies will be reviewed after three years.