ANN ARBOR, Mich. — A new University of Michigan grading policy is drawing mixed reactions from students, as the school prepares to shield first-semester letter grades for incoming freshmen. Supporters say the change could reduce pressure during a difficult transition, while critics argue it risks insulating students from academic realities they will eventually have to face.
Beginning in fall 2027, first-year students entering the university’s College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA) will see their first-semester transcript grades recorded only as pass (P) or no credit (NC).
University officials describe the move as a pilot program designed to address what they call a growing “mental health crisis” across college campuses and to make the leap from high school to college less overwhelming.
“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 continue to receive standard letter grades and feedback from their professors during the semester, but those final grades will not be shown on official external transcripts and will not be included in their overall GPAs.
The university will retain internal letter grade records for advising, financial aid eligibility, academic awards and scholarships, and other administrative purposes.
Several students told Fox News Digital that easing into college expectations could be a net positive.
“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 grad 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.”