College Matters from The Chronicle Has Harvard Gone Soft?
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Nov 5, 2025 Beth McMurtrie, a senior writer at The Chronicle of Higher Education, delves into Harvard's striking grade inflation trend, revealing that A's accounted for 60% of all grades in 2025, a dramatic rise from 2005. She discusses how Harvard's influence on grading practices affects perceptions of higher education nationwide. The conversation touches on faculty pressures, student advocacy, and how the pandemic has shifted grading dynamics, sparking a debate on whether education should prioritize mastery or traditional evaluations.
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Grade Compression Alters Academic Signals
- Harvard reports A grades rose to 60% in 2025, creating grade compression that blurs top performers.
- The report links inflation to stress, student disengagement, and pressure on instructors to award A's.
Grades Feed Power And Career Sorting
- Harvard functions as a sorting mechanism for elite positions, so grade inflation undermines that role.
- Beth and Jack link grading trends to broader incentives around money, prestige, and career advancement.
Faculty Incentives Push Toward Leniency
- Faculty face career pressures to be lenient because departments compete for students and contingent instructors fear losing courses.
- These structural incentives exist across higher ed and can push toward softer grading even at wealthy institutions.