I never thought I’d see the day.
Grading standards in college have grown so lax (nearly 50% of all college grades nationwide are A’s) that now even the students—the students!—are demanding that professors grow a spine and grade them honestly.
In August, a letter was sent to President Donald Trump by the student body presidents from Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, Auburn, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Baylor. In it, these student government presidents, who represent 200,000 students, offer a strong, principled stand against the scourge of college grade inflation. They call for an executive order requiring all Title IV universities to report median class grades on student transcripts. Giving roughly half of all students A’s undermines academic integrity and America’s workforce competitiveness. These students deserve applause for their clarity and courage in demanding reform that restores trust in higher education.
For over a decade, I’ve researched the alarming rise of grade inflation, citing researchers Stuart Rojstaczer’s and Christopher Healy’s finding that in the 1960s, only 15% of college grades were A’s; but by 2011, that figure had soared to 43%, and today it stands at nearly 50%. By 2019, 75% of all grades were either A’s or B’s. This trend debases transcripts, rendering them useless for employers and graduate schools.
The root of this crisis traces back to the Vietnam era, when lenient grading shielded students from the draft—a practice that has since ballooned into a systemic failure.
The students’ proposal to mandate median grade reporting directly addresses this crisis. As I have argued, transcripts without context are meaningless. An A in a course where everyone earns an A is not equivalent to an A in a rigorous class with a median grade of C. By providing this context, the proposed reform would enable employers to distinguish genuine achievement from inflated credentials. This aligns with my long-standing advocacy for transparency as a non-intrusive solution to restore public trust in the value of a college degree.
In 2013, here in Texas, then-state Rep. Scott Turner (now the Secretary of HUD), proposed a bill requiring public universities to report median grades on transcripts. Though it passed the Texas House, it stalled in the Senate. The measure passed the Texas House again this year, championed by Rep. Joanne Shofner, joined by Reps. Suleman Lalani and Sheryl Cole, and earning strong bipartisan support. But again, it stalled in the Senate.
The students’ letter to President Trump revives this idea on a national scale, wisely avoiding heavy-handed measures like mandatory grading curves. Instead, honest transcripts provide clarity without micromanaging universities, letting market forces—employers and graduate schools—drive accountability. The students’ proposal embodies this principle, offering a practical path to reform.
Beyond practicality, the students’ letter raises a moral imperative. I have argued that grade inflation is a moral failing, teaching students “that life is easy” and leaving them unprepared for real-world challenges. The student body presidents’ letter amplifies this, arguing that equating a hard-earned A with an easy one is academic dishonesty, cheating students of opportunity and truth. Their call for transcript transparency is not about workforce competitiveness or graduate admissions alone—it’s about restoring integrity to higher education.
These student body presidents have taken up the mantle of reform with a proposal grounded in both hard evidence and moral principle. Their initiative draws on one irrefutable maxim: Transparency fosters accountability, which restores trust. President Trump should seize this opportunity to issue an executive order that ensures degrees reflect real achievement. These students have shown the way. Let’s follow their lead to rebuild a higher education system that honors hard work, truth, and excellence.
And let’s not ignore the irony: Standards have grown so lax in American academia that the students have had to take it upon themselves to teach their teachers the true meaning of academic rigor.
