More Students Get A’s Than Ever Before Amid Grade Inflation [complimentary article]
Harvard found the average GPA among its students was 3.8 in 2021, up from 3.4 in 2003. 79% of Harvard students received A’s, up from 60% in 2011.
Over the last few decades, the average GPA of college students and the percentage of students earning A’s has increased dramatically, a phenomenon known as ‘grade inflation.’ A report from Harvard found the average GPA among its students was 3.8 in 2021, up from 3.4 in 2003. 79% of Harvard students received A’s, up from 60% in 2011. Yale reported a very similar trend.
While grade inflation appears to have accelerated in the last few years, the trend has been going on for decades. According to work by Professor Stuart Rojstaczer, the percentage of college students across the U.S. earning A’s increased from roughly 15% in 1960 to 45% in 2013. Over the same period, the percentage of students earning C’s fell substantially. As a result, grade distribution has shifted to the right.
The trend does not appear to be confined only to colleges, with grade inflation also happening among high school students, according to a 2023 report from ACT.
Why is grade inflation happening?
Some cite a lowering of grading standards from both professors and administrators, who want to avoid negative reviews from students that don’t receive A’s. Additionally, when competing for declining enrollment numbers, university administration may feel pressure to advertise that most of their students are ‘high academic achievers’ and prepared for success in the job market.
Professor Rojstaczer, who was mentioned above, offers the following explanation:
[grade inflation is principally caused] “by the emergence of a consumer-based culture in higher education. Students are paying more for a product every year, and increasingly they want and get the reward of a good grade for their purchase. Administrators and college leaders agree with these demands because the customer is always right. In this culture, professors are not only compelled to grade easier, but also to water down course content.”
Questions for you, the reader:
Do you think grade inflation is good, bad, or neutral?
Is a grading system necessary in schools? If not, what would be an alternative?he number of scientific research papers that were retracted in 2023 exploded to more than 10,000, far surpassing previous records. For context, in 2022, about 5,500 papers were retracted. The magnitude of the increase was reported by Nature.
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