University of Michigan to hide first-semester grades, citing mental health crisis

The University of Michigan's College of Literature, Science and the Arts (LSA) will implement a new policy in fall 2027, withholding first-semester freshman letter grades from transcripts. Instead, these grades will be recorded as "pass" or "no credit." This move is intended to ease the transition to college and combat a growing mental health crisis among young adults.

University officials believe this change will allow students to explore new subjects and acclimate to academic demands without the immediate pressure of their performance impacting their official records. While the first semester's grades will not factor into Grade Point Averages (GPAs), the university will retain the actual grades internally for essential academic functions such as scholarships, internships, financial aid, and advising.

The program will be mandatory for all first-year LSA students, as the college stated that making it optional could inadvertently signal poor performance for those who choose to cover their grades. Conventional letter grades that count towards GPAs will begin in the second semester. Transfer students will not be eligible for this program.

This approach is not unprecedented in U.S. higher education. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has utilized a similar pass/no-record system for its first-year students since 1968. LSA is the largest college within the University of Michigan, serving nearly 20,000 undergraduates, including over 3,500 first-year students as of fall 2025.

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We believe that covering grades will help students start strong and curb the mental health crisis unfolding among college-aged individuals.