The University of Michigan has paused a planned program that would have removed letter grades from transcripts for many first-semester students in the College of Literature, Science and the Arts — the university’s largest school.
The policy would have taken effect during the 2027 fall semester, and was intended to support students’ mental health and ease the transition into college. It has received criticism from some who worry it could decrease U-M’s academic rigor.
In a written statement, University President Domenico Grasso said much of the attention surrounding the proposed policy “consists of distorted narratives about our intentions and, most concerningly, about the academic strength and resilience of our students.”
“Our students could bear the consequences of those misperceptions, including being unfairly portrayed as coddled or unprepared for the demands of a rigorous Michigan education. Nothing could be further from the truth.” Grasso said.
The program has not been canceled, but is now on pause to allow for further community input and discussion, the university said.
The reaction of students on campus at U of M was mixed. Some supported the policy, others were skeptical of its effectiveness, and many said they had no opinion on the matter at all.
If letter grades weren't an issue, “I definitely would have explored more topics I would have liked,” said sophomore molecular biology student Landen Winsor. “Definitely [would have] dived deeper into some more advanced things that I'm a little hesitant to now because it affects my GPA."
Inaaya Nazmeen, a junior who studies neuroscience, said she believes the policy could lead freshmen to push themselves too hard their first semester, without teaching proper study habits.
“I would just pick all my hard classes because my grades basically don't count,” Nazmeen said. “And I feel like it wouldn't prepare me for my future years.”
Political science junior Sarah Spencer believed the policy could help student mental health, but also thought U of M should invest more resources into helping students adjust to the social realities of college life.
“There's so much going on in a freshman's life that school honestly shouldn't be the hardest of their issues,” Spencer said. “I'm not sure that this is the exact way to accomplish that, but I understand that the university is coming from a place of wanting to help students.”
Freshman Tess Pagnotto worried that the policy could harm U of M’s academic rankings. “I don't know if other schools were talking about it, but I think it kind of puts Michigan on a down compared to all the other prestigious universities we're competing with.”
Meghan Tuttle, a senior studying neuroscience and music, jokingly suggested the University hide the grades of notoriously difficult classes many students take after their freshman year.
“I think that they should not hide first-semester grades, but hide third-semester grades,” Tuttle said. “I and many other STEM majors have to take [organic chemistry]. We have to take 'orgo' usually second year. And let's just say that's a very ‘fun’ class."
Editor's note: The University of Michigan holds Michigan Public's broadcast license.
