It's easier than ever to get an A

College students all across America have higher grades than any prior generation, but the jury is out on whether that's a good thing. No evidence shows that they deserve better grades than their parents. Even if they did, then as more A students graduate then their degrees become less valuable.

If there were any doubts that grades are on the rise, then mountains of evidence can put those to rest. According to publicly available college and university records, the average GPA across all schools has steadily risen for at least the past three decades and shows no signs of stopping. To illustrate this absurdity, imagine that if this trend continues then everyone will be an A student by the middle of the century. No data so far suggests that students are working any harder, studying for longer periods of time, or even more literate when they graduate. If anything, the opposite seems to be the case.

This isn't fair for students. The ones who do work hard for their As don't deserve to have their GPA devalued, and the ones who just coast by don't deserve to be told they're high achievers. This unfairness results in serious real-world consequences in life after college. For example, the bar exam today is returning more failures than ever. Law students who once believed they were high-achieving throughout school suddenly discover that they cannot stand up to the rigor of the professional world. Employers suffer as well since they now cannot take a degree on a resume at face value anymore.

Why are average students getting the same grades as their high-achieving counterparts? The cause remains unclear. In a highly competitive education market, perhaps schools and instructors are under pressure to deliver the As that their customers want. Data shows that private institutions are the most subject to grade inflation, as well as schools with smaller class sizes. These instructors who have less job security are more likely to appeal to the lowest common denominator. Another possibility suggested by biology professor Mark McPeek is that maybe today's students really do know more than their parents did. However, as generations change and advanced concepts become common knowledge, then our educational standards should shift as well. Standards must increase, and students must tackle more advanced content. If we raise the standards, then grades will ease back to their logical distribution.

Just as economic inflation devalues our dollar bills, then so does grade inflation devalue degrees. Employers have to rely on metrics other than grades to judge a job-seeking graduate. Students today should remember that their GPA may not be as significant now as it once was, and therefore they should focus on earning accomplishments outside of the classroom. Don't be fooled into thinking that your grade signifies the ultimate score for your success. Right now, that assumption is less true than ever.

Public College & University Data

Now there is a place to help you find out more information about the various public colleges and universities out there. There is a wide variety of statistics and data available on the various higher education systems across the country. Sometimes the data is collected nationally and sometimes it is local to each state. We provide our analysis of the education data that is available on higher education systems in the USA.

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