Noisy about 'Grade Inflation' in US Ivy League... 80% Receive 'A'

79% of Total Assigned Credits Are A or A-

The grade inflation at the prestigious U.S. university group known as the 'Ivy League' has reportedly become severe since the COVID-19 pandemic. There are concerns that the efforts of students who focus on their studies are being undervalued as too many undergraduates receive perfect scores.

On the 5th (local time), the U.S. New York Times (NYT) cited a report released last month by Yale University economics professor Ray C. Fair, stating that 79% of all grades awarded to Yale undergraduates in the 2022-2023 academic year were A or A-.

The proportion of A and A- grades at Yale has steadily increased over the years. In the 2010-2011 academic year, 67% of all grades were in the A range. By 2019, just before the pandemic, 73% of grades were A.

Yale Law School, USA
Photo by Yale University

The proportion of A grades surged during the pandemic, and in the 2021-2022 academic year, when grade inflation was at its worst, 82% of Yale students' grades were in the A range.

Accordingly, students' average scores are also rising. According to the report, Yale's average GPA last year was 3.7 on a 4.0 scale.

Some professors have expressed concern that students are receiving excessively generous grades. Shelley Kagan, a philosophy professor at Yale, told the media, "Giving an A grade, which means 'excellent,' on almost every assignment is not an honest attitude toward the students."

He added, "Students no longer consider a B grade to be a good score. The A grade has effectively become the standard," and "the very meaning of grades is being shaken."

Grade inflation has been observed at several prestigious U.S. universities. At Harvard University, 79% of all grades awarded to undergraduates in the 2020-2021 academic year were in the A range. Ten years ago, this figure was only 60%. Harvard's average GPA in 2020-2021 was 3.8, a significant increase from 3.41 nineteen years ago.

The NYT reported that dissatisfaction with grade inflation is growing among students as well. They worry that their grades are being undervalued or that grades have effectively lost their meaning, making it difficult for future employers to recognize their efforts.

A Yale junior told the NYT, "If Yale and other Ivy League schools start gaining a reputation for severe grade inflation, students who previously earned high grades will not have their efforts properly acknowledged."