Major U-M College Scraps Traditional Letter Grades
- August 10, 2026
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University of Michigan Arts School scraps letter grades, moves to pass fail to curb student "mental health crisis".
The University of Michigan’s Arts School has reportedly embraced a pass-fail grading system that will no longer reward students who perform exceptionally.
Beginning in the Fall of 2027, the University of Michigan’s College of Literary, Science and the Arts announced it would no longer provide A-F grades to first-semester students. Instead of letter grades, each student’s transcript will receive a “P” if they passed and an “NC” if they failed to obtain credit. This decision will have a significant impact on the grade point averages of freshmen students.
The Literary, Science and Arts College is Michigan’s largest program on its Ann Arbor campus. The college claims this decision will allow for first-year students to start their college career with momentum and will “curb the mental health crisis”. This was addressed in a statement added to the LSA college’s website: “We believe that covering grades will help students start strong and curb the mental health crisis unfolding among college-aged individuals.”
This program is non-elective, so a student could get 100% in each of their classes and have their grades reduced to a “P”.
“For example, they can explore a subject that may not come easily to them or take a course in a new field without the fear that a low grade may have long-term consequences,” said the press release issued by the LSA College.
Johns Hopkins University, one of the most prestigious universities in the United States, previously enacted a similar policy for first-semester students. However, in 2017, the University determined this policy was doing more harm than good. Johns Hopkins faculty staff said on repealing the decision, “Faculty members believe that covering grades can delay development of study skills and adaptation to college-level work…that delay is particularly a concern for students in sequential courses, where the second-semester syllabus builds directly on first-semester work.”
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