The University of Michigan plans to stop recording letter grades on transcripts for many first-year students beginning in autumn 2027. The measure is intended to reduce academic pressure as part of the university’s response to a wider mental health crisis in higher education.

Under the proposal, affected students would have a semester-long period in which letter grades would not appear on their transcripts. The change would apply to incoming freshmen rather than the entire student body, signalling a targeted trial of a less grade-focused approach.