USG, Malkiel launch grade deflation project

As part of this new system, Dean of the College Nancy Malkiel wrote a letter explaining the University grading system and how it differs from those of peer institutions. The letter was attached to an e-mail Diemand-Yauman sent to the student body Tuesday afternoon, and students can send it with their applications to jobs or graduate schools.

Additionally, a new website will allow students to request that information about the grade deflation policy be sent from the University to the e-mail addresses of their choice. Employers or graduate schools who receive such information are also encouraged to contact Career Services with additional questions.

“The beauty of this system is that we don’t have to watch from the sidelines,” Diemand-Yauman said in an e-mail to The Daily Princetonian. “Students can now proactively take part in educating employers from all over about our grading policy, and subsequently strengthen Princeton’s reputation for academic excellence.”

Diemand-Yauman added that this year the USG has decided to address grade deflation “as realistically as possible.”

“Past USG administrations have spent an enormous amount of energy attempting to fight this policy,” he said. “These attempts were, on the whole, unsuccessful, and students felt like no progress had been made.”

Malkiel praised the new policy as “innovative” and “constructive,” saying it was one of “a number of initiatives” going forward to address student concerns about grade deflation.

The University currently attaches a similar explanation letter to every student transcript it sends out, Malkiel said, noting that the new policy is necessary because many job applications do not require transcripts. “The transcript statement isn’t therefore very useful,” she explained.

There is also a downloadable version of the transcript statement available for student use, but Malkiel said this statement is difficult for undergraduates to find.

“I go on-line to try to find the downloadable version of the transcript statement that we put up for students to use when the grading policy first went into effect,” she said in an e-mail. “I discover that the Registrar’s website has been redone since then, the Career Services website has been redone since then, [and] the transcript statement can’t be found on either one.”

The University approved the current grading policy in April 2004. Since then, Malkiel said she has sent roughly 3,000 letters to various graduate and professional school admission deans, employers and competition administrators to explain the grade deflation policy.

In the new letter provided for students’ use, Malkiel contrasted Princeton’s grading system with those of other schools.

“Our closest peer institutions report that their grades continue to rise, with A’s representing 50 percent or more of the grades given,” Malkiel said. “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.”

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She added that inflated grades “devalue the educational achievements of American college students.”

Malkiel noted that she anticipates continuing to refine the grade deflation policy as its effects on students are studied further.

Diemand-Yauman noted that his administration is breaking with the tradition of past USG administrations.

“We concluded that Princeton’s grading policy isn’t going to change anytime soon,” he explained. “The USG’s job is to produce results, and to do so we need to be diplomatic and creative with all of our initiatives.”

For the full text of Malkiel's letter to employers and graduate schools, please click here.