The University of Michigan is hiding first-semester letter grades for freshmen in its largest college to combat a mental health crisis.
Transitioning from high school to a top-tier university can be an overwhelming experience for many young adults. In an effort to ease this transition and support student well-being, the University of Michigan is taking a major step by removing traditional letter grades from the official transcripts of first-semester freshmen. This policy shift highlights how elite academic institutions are increasingly prioritizing emotional health and student adjustment over traditional performance metrics.
What Happened
The University of Michigan’s College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA)—the university's largest undergraduate college with more than 18,000 students—announced a new pilot program that will hide first-semester letter grades for incoming freshmen. Starting in the fall of 2027, these students will receive "Pass" (P) or "No Credit" (NC) designations on their external transcripts instead of traditional A-to-F grades.
While students will still receive letter grades and detailed feedback from their instructors internally, these grades will not appear on official transcripts and will not be factored into their cumulative grade point averages (GPAs). The university will maintain internal records of the actual grades for administrative purposes, such as financial aid, athletic eligibility, academic advising, and scholarship considerations.
Key Facts of the Policy:
- Implementation Date: The pilot program is set to begin in the fall of 2027.
- Target Audience: The policy applies only to incoming freshmen in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA). It does not apply to transfer students or freshmen in the university's other 18 colleges.
- No Opt-Out: The program is mandatory for all eligible students to prevent any stigma associated with choosing a "covered grade" option.
- Transcript Notation: External transcripts will show "Pass" or "No Credit" for the first semester, with standard letter grading resuming in the second semester.
- Internal Tracking: Actual letter grades will still be recorded internally for advising, athletic compliance, and financial aid.
Why It Matters
This decision reflects a growing national conversation about the mental health of college students. According to the Healthy Minds Study conducted at the University of Michigan, 18 percent of college students nationwide reported experiencing severe depression symptoms during the 2024–2025 academic year. University officials argue that shielding students from the immediate pressure of letter grades will allow them to "start strong" and explore challenging subjects without the fear of damaging their long-term academic records.
However, the policy has also drawn criticism. Detractors argue that hiding grades may devalue the academic rigor of an elite institution like the University of Michigan. Critics worry that lowering the stakes could reduce student motivation and fail to prepare young adults for the competitive realities of the post-graduation workforce.
What Happens Next
The pilot program will officially launch for the freshman class entering in the fall of 2027. Over the course of the pilot, university administrators will likely monitor student performance, retention rates, and mental health outcomes to determine whether the policy should be extended, expanded to other colleges within the university, or discontinued.
Michigan is not the first elite school to adopt such a policy. It joins a small group of prestigious institutions—including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), which has covered first-semester grades since 1968, as well as the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Swarthmore College, and Wellesley College—that have implemented similar grading structures for first-year students.
What We Still Don't Know
- How will graduate schools and future employers view transcripts that completely omit first-semester letter grades?
- Will this policy actually lead to measurable improvements in student mental health and academic retention at the university?
- Does the university plan to eventually expand this "covered grade" policy to its other 18 colleges and schools?
Source Note
This story draws on reporting from the New York Post.