ANN ARBOR, Mich. — A new University of Michigan grading policy is drawing mixed reactions from students, as the school prepares to shield incoming freshmen’s first-semester letter grades from official transcripts. Some students say the move could reduce the intense pressure that often comes with the start of college, while others argue it may soften expectations at a time when young adults need to adjust to real-world accountability.
Beginning in fall 2027, first-year students entering the university’s College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA) will see their first-semester grades recorded on transcripts only as pass (P) or no credit (NC), rather than traditional letter grades.
University leaders describe the initiative as a pilot program designed to respond to what they call a growing mental health crisis across college campuses, while also helping new students navigate the often difficult jump from high school to university life.
“Our goal is to help first-year students acclimate to the demands of college and allow intrinsic motivations to guide personally meaningful academic journeys — core elements of a liberal arts and sciences education,” the university said in its announcement.
Students will still get letter grades and academic feedback from instructors during the semester, but those final letter marks will not be shown on official external transcripts and will not count toward a student’s cumulative GPA.
The University of Michigan will, however, keep internal records of those letter grades for purposes such as academic advising, financial aid review, scholarships, honors and other administrative needs.
Some students who spoke with Fox News Digital said the policy could give freshmen a healthier runway as they learn to manage the demands of college academics.
“If there are measures to ease the way for high school students coming to [university], I think that’s a good thing,” said Alexander, an exchange graduate student from Austria.
Ella Langlois, an LSA student, said that it does not hurt to give the policy a test run.
“I do think mental health is always super important,” she said.
William Bushey, a civil engineering major, called the decision a “good call.”
“I’m an engineer, so I go through all the weeder classes all the time,” Bushey said. “There’s a lot of successful people who struggle in their first-year classes, but will just pass and then wind up being super successful later on.”
Chloe Song, an economics freshman at LSA, agreed that the initial transition can be daunting.
“I think that’s a good call because it’s really stressful,” Song said.
The LSA is the largest of the university’s 19 schools and colleges, serving approximately 19,700 undergraduate students.
University leaders hope the grade-covering policy gives students the freedom to explore challenging electives without fear of damaging their long-term GPAs.
Similar pass/fail or hidden-grade policies for first-year students have existed for decades at institutions such as MIT, Caltech, Wellesley, and Swarthmore.
However, not all U-Mich students are on board. Some argue that shielding grading consequences promotes poor study habits and ignores the root causes of student anxiety.
“I think it’s kind of silly,” said Talan, a freshman neuroscience major. “I know they say it’s to curb mental health and stop people from having mental health crises, but I feel like that is our generation having access to media across the world. That’s why their mental health is a little worse, not because they’re worried about grades.”
“We’re at the University of Michigan — people tried pretty hard to get here,” Talan added. “I feel like grades are taken pretty seriously. And if you’re going to try, working as hard as someone who gets a C and passes with the same grade as you is kind of demeaning in a way.”
Simran, a sophomore business major, suggested that hiding grades avoids teaching resilience.
“I think having more supportive resources is a better solution than hiding grades,” Simran said. “I think there’s a lot of challenges that you face in college, and challenging coursework is one of them. It’s something you just learn to move through. I’ve definitely done poorly in classes before, but it’s an upward battle at times… it’s a very important skill to have.”
Others expressed concern that the policy will merely delay academic stress until the second semester.
Andrew Spencer, a biology, health, and society major, said that while he might have personally benefited from the break, he believes the policy will ultimately backfire.
“Overall, it’s just going to hurt more,” Spencer said. “People are just going to slack off and not care about their grades in the first semester, and then not have the skills themselves for the second semester to come in and have a great work ethic.”
Monica Diaz, a junior studying psychology and economics, offered a middle ground, noting that while she understands critics’ concerns, the single-semester policy isn’t permanent coddling.
“I don’t entirely agree with that because I think it’s just slowly transitioning them into what it’s like to be at a school like the University of Michigan,” Diaz said.
“Obviously, after the first semester they’re not going to be coddled anymore, so I don’t really think that’s entirely true — but I can definitely see the argument.”
