‘Soul-Crushing’: Students Slam Harvard’s Grade Inflation Report

By Wyeth Renwick and Nirja J. Trivedi, Crimson Staff Writers

12 hours ago

Harvard students pushed back forcefully against a new University report condemning grade inflation, arguing that it misrepresented their academic experience and would add pressure to an already demanding campus environment.

The 25-page report, released Monday by the Office of Undergraduate Education, suggested that Harvard’s grading system had become so lenient that it no longer meaningfully distinguished between students. It warned that current practices were “failing to perform the key functions of grading” and were “damaging the academic culture of the College.”

But in interviews with The Crimson, more than 20 students said the report missed the complexity of academic life at Harvard. Many objected to its suggestion that students were not spending enough time on coursework and warned that stricter grading could heighten stress without improving learning.

Sophie Chumburidze ’29 said the report felt dismissive of students’ hard work and academic struggles.

“The whole entire day, I was crying,” she said. “I skipped classes on Monday, and I was just sobbing in bed because I felt like I try so hard in my classes, and my grades aren’t even the best.”

“It just felt soul-crushing,” she added.

The report called on Harvard affiliates to work with officials to “re-center academics” and devote time towards tougher and more strictly graded courses. But many students said the push felt misguided, warning that tougher grading, without attendant changes in academic quality, would shift their focus from learning to chasing grades.

Kayta A. Aronson ’29 said stricter standards could take a serious toll on students’ mental health.

“It makes me rethink my decision to come to the school,” she said. “I killed myself all throughout high school to try and get into this school. I was looking forward to being fulfilled by my studies now, rather than being killed by them.”

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Zahra Rohaninejad ’29 added that grading already felt harsh and raising standards further would only erode students’ ability to enjoy their classes.

“I can’t reach my maximum level of enjoyment just learning the material because I’m so anxious about the midterm, so anxious about the papers, and because I know it’s so harshly graded,” she said. “If that standard is raised even more, it’s unrealistic to assume that people will enjoy their classes.”

Spokespeople for Harvard College and the Faculty of Arts and Sciences did not respond to a request for comment.

Claybaugh briefly acknowledged in the report that surveys showed undergraduates were working “as hard as they ever have” — but students said that note was cursory and minimized the intensity of their workloads.

“If you go to Lamont or Cabot at 12 a.m., that place is packed every single night,” Rohaninejad said. “People care about their work. People sacrifice sleep. People sacrifice friend activities. People sacrifice so much for their grades already.”

The Monday report came months after a Faculty of Arts and Sciences committee threw talk of grade inflation at Harvard into the limelight, concluding in a separate report that many students sought out easier courses to make time for extracurriculars. Claybaugh echoed that sentiment on Monday, pointing to students expanding extracurricular commitments rather than focusing on their existing courseload.

But several students said their involvements outside of the classroom were integral to Harvard’s identity.

“What makes a Harvard student a Harvard student is their engagement in extracurriculars,” Peyton White ’29 said. “Now we have to throw that all away and pursue just academics. I believe that attacks the very notion of what Harvard is.”

Hudson C. McCarthy ’29, a member of the men’s lacrosse team, said the report ignored the realities faced by student-athletes.

“It’s doing students a disservice because it’s not really accounting for what we have to do on a day to day basis, and how many hours we’re putting into our team, our bodies, and then also school,” he said.

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Some students were sympathetic towards the report and acknowledged that Harvard’s grading has trended upward. Still, they warned that lowering grades in isolation would leave them at a disadvantage in the job market and graduate admissions.

“Addressing it only at Harvard is potentially dangerous for these students that are looking to go on to the next level or need these high grades,” Stephen A. Behun ’28 said. “I just worry that we’re putting the cart before the horse when it comes to fixing this without fully understanding how it’s going to impact students professionally, even if it academically helps them master subjects.”

Necati O. Unsal ’26 said the current system already creates punishing pressure to maintain near-perfect GPAs — a sign, he argued, of a deeper problem.

“There is a reason we’re in this situation in the first place, and the fact that you’re so scared of your GPA dropping .1 or .2 shows that there is a real crisis going on,” he said.

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“It just felt soul-crushing,” she added.

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