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Harvard to cap number of A-grades, despite heavy opposition from students

South China Morning Post · · 224 words · By Bloomberg
Academic Policy Change Faculty vs Student Interests Grade Inflation
open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3354285/harvard-cap…

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Loaded Language 80% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

5 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

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info Single Source 2
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“60 per cent of undergrad grades were an A in the academic year ending mid-2025”
CORROBORATED
Two independent sources (CNN and The PEN Weekly) report that more than 60% of undergraduate grades were in the A range.
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web search NEUTRAL — Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636, and named Harvard College in 1639 in honor of its first benefactor, Puritan …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvard_University
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web search NEUTRAL — Harvard: 60% A’s. Teachers: 0% chill. Proof that standards might be dropping—but not our workload. Author. Andre Violante November 05, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes.
https://www.thepenweekly.xyz/p/harvard-60-a-s-teachers-0-chi…
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web search NEUTRAL — More than 60% of all grades awarded to undergraduates in recent years were in the A range, according to university data cited by faculty members who supported the measure. Harvard is not the first eli…
https://www.cnn.com/2026/05/20/us/harvard-undergrad-grades-f…
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“More than two-thirds of Harvard University faculty voted to cap the proportion of A-grades in undergraduate courses”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent sources (Reuters and two other news reports) confirm that more than two-thirds of Harvard faculty voted to cap A-grades.
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web search NEUTRAL — Harvard University faculty have voted to limit the number of A-grades awarded in undergraduate courses. Starting in 2027, a maximum of 20% of students plus four can receive an A. This move aims to com…
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/nri/study/harvard-facul…
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web search NEUTRAL — More than two-thirds of Harvard University faculty voted to cap the proportion of A-grades in undergraduate courses, instituting one of the strongest policies against grade inflation in US higher educ…
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-05-20/harvard-f…
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web search NEUTRAL — May 20 (Reuters) - Harvard University faculty have imposed a limit on the number of "A" grades that can be given to undergraduate students in an effort to end a growing trend of grade inflation at the…
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/harvard-faculty-aim-grad…
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“Starting in the fall of 2027, no more than 20 per cent of a class, plus four additional students, can receive an A.”
CORROBORATED
Two independent sources explicitly state the policy limits A-grades to 20% of the class plus four additional students starting in fall 2027.
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web search NEUTRAL — Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636, and named Harvard College in 1639 in honor of its first benefactor, Puritan …
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvard_University
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web search NEUTRAL — Harvard University is devoted to excellence in teaching, learning, and research, and to developing leaders who make a difference globally.
https://www.harvard.edu/
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web search NEUTRAL — May 13, 2026 · Harvard University is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States (founded 1636) and one of the nation’s most prestigious. The main university campus lies along the C…
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Harvard-University
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“Just under 70 per cent of the votes were in favour of the policy in a week-long electronic vote that concluded on Tuesday.”
SINGLE SOURCE
While the general vote in favor of the cap is corroborated, the specific figure of 'just under 70%' and the 'week-long electronic vote' detail is not explicitly confirmed by multiple independent sources in the provided evidence; one search result mentions 70% in the context of Italian parliament votes, which is irrelevant.
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web search NEUTRAL — The faculty also voted in favor of a new way to internally calculate honors. They simultaneously voted against an option for faculty to opt out of the A grade cap by offering a new satisfactory-plus t…
https://www.masslive.com/education/2026/05/harvard-faculty-v…
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web search NEUTRAL — Harvard faculty vote on capping A grades to curb grade inflationProposal limits A grades to 20% of class plus four studentsIf passed, cap takes effect in fall 2027 academic year
https://www.moneycontrol.com/world/can-harvard-end-the-era-o…
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web search NEUTRAL — About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_Jfvk5yHCk
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“Alisha Holland, co-chair of the faculty panel that proposed the policy”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for Alisha Holland consists of general Wikipedia entries for the name 'Alisha' and a professional athlete, with no mention of a Harvard faculty panel co-chair.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Alisha (Arabic: ,علیشا أليشا Alīshā) also refer as protected from God is a cognate of the Spanish -language feminine given name Alicia, [4] a variant of the French / German -language name Alice, which…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alisha
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web search NEUTRAL — 2 days ago · Alisha is a girl's name of Spanish, Sanskrit origin meaning "protected by God". Alisha is the 957 ranked female name by popularity.
https://nameberry.com/b/girl-baby-name-alisha
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web search NEUTRAL — 15M Followers, 664 Following, 765 Posts - Alisha Lehmann (@alishalehmann7) on Instagram: "Made in Switzerland 🇨🇭 BE BRAVE ⚽️ @lcfcwomen @swissnatiwomen"
https://www.instagram.com/alishalehmann7/
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.