Grading policy letter

Colleagues:

Beginning with fall term 2004-05, grades awarded at Princeton University reflect new institutional grading expectations for undergraduate courses and independent work. These expectations result from the determination of the Princeton faculty to address locally the persistent national problem of grade inflation. We are fully confident that adopting this new grading policy was the right step for Princeton, and we feel that it is working very well. We realize, however, that many of our peers have not adopted similar policies, and we thought that it would be helpful to you to explain our system so that you can understand the academic records of Princeton students in context.

Princeton’s grading expectations posit a common grading standard for every academic department and program, under which A’s (A+, A, A-) shall account for less than 35 percent of the grades given in undergraduate courses and less than 55 percent of the grades given in junior and senior independent work. The University faculty has agreed that grades in the A range signify work that is exceptional (A+), outstanding (A), or excellent (A-). Grades in the B range signify work that is very good (B+), good (B), or more than adequate (B-). Grades in the C range signify work that is acceptable in varying degrees.

At the same time that the Princeton faculty is bringing grades under better control, our closest peer institutions report that their grades continue to rise, with A’s representing 50 percent or more of the grades given. Princeton students are every bit as accomplished as their peers at those institutions; the difference is that the Princeton faculty has determined to grade in such a way as to discriminate meaningfully between truly exceptional and ordinarily good work.

Commentators in the public press have singled Princeton out for taking effective leadership in combating the longstanding, deep-seated problem of pervasive grade inflation. In their view, the Princeton faculty has demonstrated conclusively that with clear intent and concerted effort, a university faculty can bring down the inflated grades that — left uncontrolled — devalue the educational achievements of American college students.

We are proud that the Princeton faculty is working successfully to restore educational content and meaning to the letter grades earned by the highest-achieving students in the United States. And we are prouder still of the Princeton students who continue to excel at the highest levels. As you doubtless know, Princeton enrolls a select group of unusually accomplished – indeed, increasingly accomplished – students, whose credentials and achievements place them in the front rank of undergraduates in all American colleges and universities. Princeton’s grading policy reflects the commitment of the Princeton faculty to hold these students to the highest standards and to make very careful distinctions in evaluating their work. Princeton grades should be understood, therefore, as rigorous markers of academic performance in an extremely challenging program of undergraduate study.

We are doing everything we can to convey to employers, admission deans, and others how Princeton’s grading policy works. We send a statement about our grading policy with every Princeton transcript, and we routinely provide information about the policy to anyone who recruits on campus. This letter is available to any student applying for any opportunity who wishes to download and transmit it directly. We have published a small booklet, Grading at Princeton: Frequently Asked Questions, which provides detailed information about our grading policy, the effects it has had on the grades of students at Princeton, and the achievements of those students in gaining employment and admission to graduate and professional schools in the years since the grading policy has been in effect. You can find the booklet on-line at http://www.princeton.edu/odoc/faculty/grading/faq/. We hope that you will read it and share it with colleagues who should be aware of Princeton’s grading initiative as they evaluate the credentials of Princeton applicants.

If you have questions, you can reach me at the above address or by e-mail at nweiss@princeton.edu.