University of Michigan Hides Freshmen's First-Semester Grades for 19,700-Student LSA Pilot
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Sep 5
University of Michigan Hides Freshmen's First-Semester Grades for 19,700-Student LSA Pilot
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 5
Summary
Fall 2027 entrants to Michigan’s College of Literature, Science, and the Arts will see first-semester transcript marks listed only as pass or no credit, with those results excluded from GPA calculations.
University officials said the pilot is meant to ease the jump from high school and address campus mental health strains, while still keeping internal letter grades for advising, financial aid, scholarships and awards.
Several students backed the change as a lower-pressure on-ramp that could help freshmen survive difficult introductory courses and try challenging classes without long-term GPA damage.
Other students called the policy coddling, arguing it could weaken study habits, postpone stress until spring semester and miss broader causes of anxiety.
LSA, the university’s largest school, enrolls about 19,700 undergraduates; similar first-year pass-fail or hidden-grade systems have long existed at MIT, Caltech, Wellesley and Swarthmore.