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Harvard to cap number of A-grades, despite heavy opposition from students

More than two-thirds of Harvard University faculty voted to cap the proportion of A-grades in undergraduate courses, instituting one of the strongest policies against grade…

By Samantha Johnson / May 20, 2026

More than two-thirds of Harvard University faculty voted to cap the proportion of A-grades in undergraduate courses, instituting one of the strongest policies against grade inflation in US higher education in decades.

Starting in the fall of 2027, no more than 20 per cent of a class, plus four additional students, can receive an A. Just under 70 per cent of the votes were in favour of the policy in a week-long electronic vote that concluded on Tuesday.

The vote represents a “large mandate for change,” said Alisha Holland, co-chair of the faculty panel that proposed the policy. She said the margin was more lopsided than she expected, adding that the vast majority of eligible faculty cast a vote.

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Holland urged faculty to start revisiting their assignments and grading systems ahead of implementation of the new initiative.

“The hope is that the work will begin now, so that when the policy goes into effect faculty and students are prepared for the transition.”

People walk on the Harvard campus in December 2024. Photo: AP
People walk on the Harvard campus in December 2024. Photo: AP

The proposal has rocked the Ivy League school, where roughly 60 per cent of undergraduate grades were an A in the academic year that ended in mid-2025.

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