University of Michigan to nix letter grades for many first-semester students
The University of Michigan will stop recording letter grades on external transcripts for the first semester of many new undergraduates in its College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA). From autumn 2027, those results will instead appear as pass or no credit and will not count towards students’ GPAs, a change intended to help first-year students adjust to university study and take academic risks.
Students will still receive their letter grades and feedback from instructors, while the university will retain the records for advising, compliance, scholarships and relevant applications. The policy applies only to LSA first-year students’ first semester, rather than to all University of Michigan students or their entire degrees.
In short
- LSA freshmen’s first-semester grades will become pass/no credit from 2027.
- The grades will not appear on external transcripts or affect GPAs.
- Students and the university will still retain detailed grade records.
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The case for
First semester represents a critical transition period where academic adjustment matters more than immediate performance metrics. Pass/no credit grading reduces anxiety-driven course selection and encourages intellectual risk-taking during this formative phase, whilst the university retains full records for advising and compliance. Research suggests that grade pressure in first semester correlates poorly with long-term success and can undermine genuine learning; transparent feedback to students remains available, making this a calibrated approach that prioritises foundational development over premature ranking.
The case against
Letter grades serve essential functions: they provide accurate information to employers and graduate programmes, maintain institutional standards, and honour students' actual achievements. First-semester performance does predict trajectories for some students, and high performers deserve transparent external recognition of their accomplishments. Pass/no credit reporting creates inconsistency and potential unfairness compared to other institutions. Rather than obscuring grades, universities should address underlying causes—workload design, support services—whilst preserving honest, consistent evaluation standards that prepare students for genuine professional and academic expectations.
Explained simply
The University of Michigan is a public university in the US state of Michigan. Its College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, known as LSA, teaches many subjects in the humanities, sciences and social sciences, and includes a large share of the university’s undergraduates.
At university, grades usually show how well students have done in each course and often contribute to a grade-point average, or GPA. A transcript is the formal record of a student’s courses and results, which may be used when applying for further study or some opportunities.
The planned change concerns only LSA students’ first semester: their external transcripts will show pass or no credit instead of letter grades. Students will still receive grades and feedback from instructors, and the university will keep the results for certain internal and official purposes.
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