University of Michigan is hiding student grades but effort to curb mental health crisis is getting blowback

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — University of Michigan students are split over a new administrative policy that will hide first-semester letter grades for incoming freshmen, with some welcoming the relief from academic pressure while others warn it could coddle students and fail to prepare them for the real world.Starting in fall 2027, incoming first-year students enrolled in the university’s College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA) will have their first-semester transcript grades designated strictly as pass (P) or no credit (NC).School officials say the pilot program aims to combat a growing “mental health crisis” on college campuses and ease the transition from high school to college. “Our goal is to help first-year students acclimate to the demands of college and allow intrinsic motivations to guide personally meaningful academic journeys — core elements of a liberal arts and sciences education,” the university stated in its announcement.While students will still receive traditional letter grades and feedback directly from professors throughout the term, final marks will not appear on official external transcripts or factor into overall GPAs.

The university will retain internal letter grade records for advising, financial aid eligibility, academic awards and scholarships, and other administrative purposes.Several students told Fox News Digital that easing into college expectations could be a net positive.“If there are measures to ease the way for high school students coming to [university], I think that’s a good thing,” said Alexander, an exchange grad student from Austria.Ella Langlois, an LSA student, said that it does not hurt to give the policy a test run. “I do think mental health is always super important,” she said.William Bushey, a civil engineering major, called the decision a “good call.”“I’m an engineer, so I go through all the weeder classes all the time,” Bushey said.“There’s a lot of successful people who ...