Harvard Faculty Votes to Cap A Grades at Roughly 20% Starting 2027

Context The faculty’s decision follows an October 2025 report, a 25‑page document that urged immediate reform and warned Harvard’s grading system was failing to distinguish performance. The report found that more than six in ten grades awarded to undergraduates are As, compared with only a quarter twenty years ago, and concluded that the trend damages academic culture. Dean Amanda Claybaugh said restoring the integrity of grades is necessary to return the college to its former standards.

Key Facts The approved “20 plus four” formula caps A grades at 24 students per 100 undergraduates, and in the same vote faculty endorsed using average percentile rankings instead of GPA for internal awards and honors. A third proposal that would have let courses opt out of the cap on an unsatisfactory‑satisfactory‑satisfactory‑plus scale was rejected, while nearly 85% of student respondents in a February survey disapproved of the changes. Some faculty warned the cap could heighten competition, discourage intellectual risk‑taking, and impinge on teaching autonomy, arguing it might dissuade students from exploring unconventional topics.

What It Means By tying the A grade to a stricter quota, Harvard aims to make the top mark signal real achievement to students, employers, and graduate schools, with employers likely relying more on the A mark when screening candidates and graduate programs using it as a clearer indicator of readiness for advanced study. The subcommittee said the change will restore the value of a Harvard transcript and reinforce the guideline that an A denotes extraordinary distinction. The policy will be monitored for effects on grade distribution, student morale, and faculty autonomy. Watch for the first implementation data in fall 2027 and any subsequent adjustments faculty may consider based on early outcomes.