University of Michigan will stop issuing real letter grades for 'mental health crisis'

The University of Michigan will stop issuing real letter grades to some first-semester freshmen, replacing them with pass or no credit on transcripts in the name of student mental health.

The policy takes effect in fall 2027 at the College of Literature, Science and the Arts, the university's largest, with roughly 3,500 first-year students. Letter grades will still be tracked internally for compliance and academic honors, but they will not appear on transcripts or count toward grade-point averages. The university says the change will help freshmen "start strong and curb the mental health crisis unfolding among college-aged individuals."