The University of Michigan's largest college will stop putting letter grades on freshmen transcripts starting fall 2027.

The College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA) announced Wednesday, Aug. 5 a pilot program replacing first-semester grades with "pass" or "no credit" for all first-year students. Nearly 5,000 students are entering LSA in fall 2026, according to Tim McKay, associate dean for undergraduate education, Bridge Michigan reported. A similar number could be affected when the pilot launches next year.

LSA accounts for more than half of undergraduate enrollment on the Ann Arbor campus.

How it works

Students will still receive letter grades and instructor feedback in every course. But those grades will not appear on external transcripts or factor into GPAs, according to Michigan Public and the Michigan Daily. The university will keep internal records of the letter grades for academic advising, scholarships, and for students applying to internships or majors outside LSA.

All first-year LSA students will be automatically enrolled. Transfer students are not eligible.

McKay told Bridge Michigan it is unlikely the school will let students opt in to having strong first-semester grades count toward their GPA, though that question has not been finalized.

Why the university says it matters

McKay named two goals: encouraging academic exploration and improving student mental health.

"We need to give them a space to get used to the reality that we're going to be asking them to do very difficult things that might go beyond what they were used to," McKay said. "We want that to happen in a way which is safe enough that they'll come through it strong …"

The Healthy Minds Study, co-based at U-M, surveyed more than 84,000 students at 135 colleges in 2024-25. It found 32% reported moderate to severe anxiety symptoms and 11% reported seriously considering suicide in the past year.

LSA Dean Rosario Ceballo first proposed the idea during her 2025 State of the College address. Peer institutions with similar programs include MIT, which launched its version in 1968, Caltech, Swarthmore College and Wellesley College.

What students say

Not all students are sold. Sophia Xu, a U-M student, told Bridge Michigan the policy could simply shift pressure to the next semester. She said making first semester pass/fail means "winter semester is when people are going to be freaking out" about maintaining their GPA.

Connor Olsen, another student, said the program is "partially prolonging the inevitable" and that students still need to figure out study schedules and office hours on their own.

Adriana Yost, a University of Michigan-Dearborn student, saw it differently. She said students can still track their progress through instructor feedback while knowing "if I really do mess up and if I try something and it really doesn't work for me, it's not going to affect me long-term in the future."

National reaction

The pilot has drawn national criticism, including a Washington Post op-ed arguing the new grading policy "deserves an F" and a Detroit News column arguing the plan "coddles" students.

Thomas Guskey, professor emeritus at the University of Kentucky's College of Education, called U-M's approach sound. He noted the university's 97% first-year retention rate suggests the change is educationally motivated, not a bid to keep struggling students enrolled. Guskey told Bridge Michigan the school plans to set the pass threshold high so students are not "lackadaisical."

What's still unknown

U-M spokesperson Chris Sebastian told Michigan Public in August that the pilot "is still in its development phase." The exact grade threshold for "pass" versus "no credit" has not been set publicly.

LSA plans to host town halls and public engagement sessions in fall 2026 to refine details before the fall 2027 launch. No specific dates have been announced.

If you are having suicidal thoughts, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.