Some colleges are eliminating grades to help ease the transition period for students. 

Some colleges are eliminating grades to help ease the transition period for students. Many college freshmen struggle to adapt to life on campus, new jobs, and finding new friends, especially “freshmen who are the first in their families to go to college or who weren’t well prepared for college-level work in high school and need more time to master it.” This can lead to poor academic performances during their first semester. To alleviate pressures during their transition period, some colleges are testing the waters with “un-grading” and getting rid of traditional A through F letter grades. While the idea of going gradeless might make some roll their eyes, professors are also advocating for the change by claiming “If a student already knew the material before taking the class and got that A, “they didn’t learn anything…if the student came in and struggled to get a C-plus, they may have learned a lot.” YPulse’s Education report shows that over half (58%) of Gen Z agree a college degree is extremely/very valuable in terms of their future success (despite enrollment being down). (NPR)