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Harvard Caps A Grades at 20%, Shifts Honors to Percentiles

5/21/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Harvard will review its A-grade cap after three years of implementation.
The Faculty of Arts and Sciences voted to limit A grades to no more than 20 % of students plus four, starting fall 2027.
Faculty noted that over 60 % of recent undergraduate grades were A’s, prompting a cap that applies only to letter-graded courses.
Harvard approved using average percentile rank instead of GPA for honors, prizes, and awards.

History

Historical Context

Harvard’s 2019 task force, echoing President Lawrence Bacow’s push, will limit A grades and use percentile ranks, a move reminiscent of Princeton’s 2004 grading guidelines that set a 35% classroom-A target and saw university-wide A rates fall to 39.7% by 2009. The shift follows decades of U.S. grade-inflation concerns documented since the 1960s.

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Story summary

Harvard will review its A-grade cap after three years of implementation.
The Faculty of Arts and Sciences voted to limit A grades to no more than 20 % of students plus four, starting fall 2027.
Faculty noted that over 60 % of recent undergraduate grades were A’s, prompting a cap that applies only to letter-graded courses.
Harvard approved using average percentile rank instead of GPA for honors, prizes, and awards.

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