University of Michigan removes first-semester grades

The University of Michigan is ditching official first-semester grades for freshmen, replacing them with a pass/fail-style grade.

The move is designed to ease pressure on first-year students, helping them “start strong and curb the mental health crisis,” according to the university.

Starting in fall 2027, students will receive grades on their coursework, but those letter grades won’t appear on their transcripts. The university will still track them internally for scholarships and athletic eligibility. First-semester results will not count toward students’ cumulative GPAs.

The program will apply to the roughly 3,500 students who join the College of Literature, Science, and Arts annually.

Student leaders have welcomed the change, saying it could help freshmen establish healthier routines. However, critics argue that shielding students from disappointing grades could make it harder for them to learn how to handle failure and criticism.

Michigan joins schools such as MIT and Caltech that have used similar grade-covering policies. Brown University also offers alternative grading choices, while Harvard has recently moved toward tighter limits on A grades.

The move also comes as universities face concerns about rising grades and gaps in students’ academic preparation. At Michigan, A-range grades accounted for 74.1% of undergraduate results in 2022, up from 57.6% in 2012.