University of Michigan Freshmen Won't See First-Semester Grades on Transcripts Thanks to a New Policy
The pilot will still give students letter grades internally while keeping them off official transcripts and using pass or no-credit marks instead.
- Starting in Fall 2027, UMich's College of Literature, Science, and the Arts will replace traditional letter grades on first-semester transcripts with "pass" or "no credit" designations to "curb the mental health crisis."
- Intended to help first-year students acclimate to college demands, the policy allows Students to explore new subjects without GPA pressure; the University will maintain internal letter grades for compliance, financial aid, and academic honors.
- Summit Louth, student body president, called the change "an incredible thing" that helps freshmen establish healthy routines, while professor Chris Hulleman of the University of Virginia noted that pass/fail grading reduces burnout.
- Rick Hess, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, called the policy "exactly the wrong diagnosis," arguing it fails to improve mental health; Harvard University capped A grades at roughly 20% to increase competitiveness.
- Psychotherapist Jonathan Alpert warned that learning to tolerate unpleasant evaluations prepares students for adulthood, questioning if institutions have blurred feeling bad with being unwell. The plan mirrors the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's grading system.
52 Articles
52 Articles
A new pilot program aims to reduce the pressure on first-year students and help them get used to the demands of the university.
University of Michigan to launch ‘grade covering’ pilot program for LSA freshmen
First-year students in U-M’s College of Literature, Science, and the Arts next fall will take part in a new pilot program that will exclude first-semester grades from their transcripts.
University of Michigan Will Hide Letter Grades for Freshman Students’ Mental Health › American Greatness
The taxpayer-funded University of Michigan’s College of Literature, Science, and the Arts has announced a pilot program starting next fall to conceal traditional letter grades […] Source
Grades for First Semester Michigan LSA Students Dropped to Improve Student Mental Health
Photo: Ryan Garza / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Aug. 12, 2026 ~ University of Michigan Board of Regents Chair Sarah Hubbard joins Kevin Dietz to explain the university’s decision to eliminate grades for first-semester freshmen and the goal of reducing stress and improving student mental health during the transition to college.ANN ARBOR, MICH. ~ University of Michigan first-semester freshmen students in the College of Literature, …
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