Prestigious College To Hide Freshmen’s First-Semester Grades

The University of Michigan’s College of Literature, Science, and the Arts will eliminate letter grades from first-semester transcripts for incoming freshmen under a new pilot program to help new freshmen acclimate to college.

Instead of traditional letter grades, students will receive a “Pass” (P) or “No Credit” (NC) during their first semester. The university says the change is intended to reduce stress tied to early grades and improve student mental health.

“Beginning in fall 2027, the College will designate all LSA first-year students’ first-semester grades as pass (P) or no credit (NC) on their transcripts,” the website explains. “While LSA students will still receive grades and instructor feedback in every course as they always have, final grades will not be recorded on their external transcripts and will not be reflected in their GPAs. LSA students’ official transcripts will state that all grades in the first semester are automatically designated as P/NC.”

The College of Literature, Science, and the Arts had nearly 20,000 undergraduate students enrolled last year, making it the largest of the university’s schools and colleges.

One goal, according to the program, is to encourage students to try new things and take classes across a wide variety of subjects without worrying that their grades will hold them back if they find those subjects a struggle. Another is to ensure that students can build confidence in their academic abilities as they first acclimate to campus culture and the demands of college-level coursework.

“Helping all students establish early momentum has been recognized as the most important element in U-M’s campus-wide Student Success Initiative. We believe that covering grades will help students start strong and curb the mental health crisis unfolding among college-aged individuals,” the website reads.

The only students eligible for this pilot program will be incoming freshmen who start at the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts in the 2027 fall semester, and the “grade covering” will apply only to their first semester grades.

Although they will not appear on individual transcripts, some people will still have access to the students’ actual letter grades and official GPA. The financial aid office will be able to access official grades to determine whether students are meeting required standards for scholarships and grants, and the athletic department will also be able to access grades to determine athletic eligibility.