The University of Michigan will begin hiding first-semester letter grades for incoming freshmen starting in autumn 2027, replacing them on official transcripts with a simple pass (P) or no credit (NC) mark. The pilot, run through the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA), is intended to ease the transition from school to university and address what officials describe as a mental health crisis on campuses, though it has divided student opinion between those who welcome reduced pressure and those who fear it removes incentives to work hard.

Students will still receive normal letter grades and feedback from professors during the term, but these marks will not appear on external transcripts or count towards GPA, though the university will keep internal records for advising, financial aid and scholarship purposes. LSA is Michigan's largest college, with roughly 19,700 undergraduates, and similar first-year pass/fail schemes have long existed at institutions including MIT, Caltech, Wellesley and Swarthmore. While some students, including an engineering major and an economics freshman, called the policy a sensible way to reduce stress, others argued it could undermine resilience and devalue effort by letting struggling students pass alongside high achievers.