Michigan Tests Pass/No Credit for Freshmen | Cleveland News

Michigan’s College of Literature, Science and the Arts is launching a bold new grading experiment for freshmen starting fall 2027: no letter grades, just pass/no credit for the first semester. Grades won’t affect GPA or external records, but feedback will still come from instructors—designed to ease the transition, reduce stress, and encourage curiosity over competition. After that, grades return to standard calculations. The move, part of a broader push to support student well-being and academic exploration, echoes similar initiatives at schools like Brown and Hampshire. LSA, home to nearly 19,000 undergrads, hopes this pilot will foster deeper learning and intrinsic motivation without the fear of failure holding students back. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/23065a1c2f655bea