Overview
- Faculty members voted 458–201 in favor of the policy in a weeklong balloting that concluded on Wednesday, May 20, 2026.
- Under the rule, instructors may award A grades to no more than 20% of enrolled undergraduates in a letter-graded course, plus up to four additional A’s to allow flexibility in smaller classes.
- A separate measure to replace GPA with students’ average percentile rank for internal awards was approved, while a proposal allowing courses to opt out of the A-cap was rejected.
- The changes respond to an internal report showing A rates rising from about 24% in 2005 to roughly 60% in 2025 and are intended to make Harvard grades more useful to employers and graduate schools.
- The policy takes effect in fall 2027, will be reviewed after three years, and could change student course choices, classroom competition and how peer institutions handle grade inflation.