Mar 20, 2026 · There is no question that grade inflation exists. The average GPA in America has risen from around a 2.6 in 1985 to 3.1 in 2020, among high schoolers, and from a 2.8 to nearly 3.2 among …

Grade inflation (also known as grading leniency) is the general awarding of higher grades for the same quality of work over time, which devalues grades. [1] However, higher average grades in themselves …

Sep 30, 2025 · This trend of declining grading rigor is commonly referred to as “grade inflation.” Research suggests the primary drivers of grade inflation are first, educators responding to “consumer …

Oct 17, 2024 · Grade inflation is the increase in average grades awarded to students over time, absent higher academic achievement. When students get higher grades without having learned more, their …

Nov 13, 2025 · Harvard University officials recently raised the alarm on grade inflation. A report last month found that more than half of all grades awarded to students were A's. That number has …

Mar 19, 2026 · Grade inflation offers short-term gains, but poorer future test scores, lower graduation rates, and lower annual earnings, a new study finds.

Mar 23, 2026 · Increasingly widespread high school grade inflation can cost students more than $200,000 in lost earning potential per teacher per year, finds a groundbreaking new study.

Jan 28, 2026 · Of all the culture war battles surrounding U.S. higher education, grade inflation—that is, the steady upward creep of undergraduate GPAs—has had the longest shelf life. The term, attributed …

Mar 27, 2026 · Students are coming into college with weaker study skills and a marked decline in their reading, math, and writing abilities. They avoid courses that might lower their grade-point average and...

In the process of writing that article, I collected data on trends in grading from about 30 colleges and universities. I found that grade inflation, while waning beginning in the mid-1970s, resurfaced in the …