Rosemary Perez speaks with Michigan Public about LSA’s move to eliminate grates for first year students
The pilot program, which will take effect in the fall of 2027, is meant to help new students gain “early momentum” as they transition into college.
Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education Associate Professor Rosemary Perez tells Michigan Public that the university’s high-pressure environment isn't always conducive to actual learning. She has seen the negative impact on her own students.
“You hear from somebody like, ‘if I don't get an A in this class, I'll never be able to —’ and fill in the blanks with a hundred different things — ‘get into this next course, get the internship, get into graduate school, get this job I want,’” Perez says. “They're already feeling that if they make one misstep it's just going to knock everything down.”
The pilot program instituted by LSA, the U-M college with the most undergraduates, will take effect in fall 2027, and will replace traditional letter grades with a designation of either “pass” or “no credit.” Michigan Public reports that students will still receive grades and feedback from their instructors, but they will not be recorded or impact a student’s overall GPA. The university will maintain internal records of the grades for advising, scholarship and internship applications, and certain other purposes.
A post announcing the pilot on LSA’s website reads:
“We believe that covering grades will help students start strong and curb the mental health crisis unfolding among college-aged individuals. 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.”
