An A, In this Economy? Grade Inflation’s Effect on the College Scene

Continuing our investigation on grade inflation, we look now to the college admissions process. Higher averages make it harder for colleges to decipher different calibers of students, and the test-optional trend places more of an impact on inflated grades. The News turned to college admissions officers to explore the dangerous consequences and possibilities of grade inflation.

Hillen Grason, an admissions officer at Franklin and Marshall College who reviews applications, has noticed inflation over the past few years, most notably from high schools that submit a large number of applications yearly. Mr. Grason said that F&M has been able to combat inflation by looking at other aspects of a students’ application besides their grades. Grades comprise only six of the academic factors that make up a student’s profile. F&M also analyzes how many advanced classes a student takes against how many their school offers. He said, “We look at the number of Advanced Placement classes a student takes given their curriculum, which also helps insulate us from inflation.” However, Mr. Grason mentioned that F&M is a victim of inflation in that it uses the same grading scale that it has used for over thirty years, and thus students seem smarter than those of past decades. 

When asked about the long-term impacts of grade inflation, Mr. Grason worries that students with inflated grades will transition worse. Students accepted with lower grades are more eligible for academic support. Mr. Grason explained, “Students with higher grades may be offered less resources because they are perceived as better students, when in actuality they might need these resources.” Students whose high school grades exceed those in college may struggle when transitioning to a new, confusing, and more difficult environment. 

Evan Sprinkle, dean of undergraduate admissions at Elon University, confirmed our reporting that grade inflation increased since COVID-19. Besides COVID, schools struggle to navigate variation between states. Especially with public schools, states vary greatly in their grading scale, and it is difficult to compare applicants in different states or sometimes even in different schools (for example comparing public and private schools that have separate curriculums). To solve this issue, Elon likes to compare students from the same highschool. Mr. Sprinkle said, “We ask for the school report and profile. This way, we can understand how inflation works at each school.” 

Similar to Mr. Grason, Mr. Sprinkle believes grade inflation is a disservice to students more than to institutions. He worries that inflated grades lead to overconfident students unprepared for a more challenging environment. To countervent grade inflation, Mr. Sprinkle believes colleges should implement other ways of measuring students. He suggests, for example, incorporating additional writing supplements or face-to-face interviews, a strategy many colleges and universities across the country have already implemented. 

Mr. Grason also worries that the test-optional trend could place more emphasis on grades. He said that F&M, which has been test-optional for over thirty years, is less concerned, as it does not include test grades in a student’s academic profile. Since testing is viewed separately as an independent factor, it is unconnected to grades. Mr. Sprinkle also worries about the effects of the test-optional approach. He mentioned that during COVID-19, when some schools only gave pass and fail grades, and tests were optional, there were very few factors for a school to identify students. 

Anna Follensbee, associate director of college counseling at Gilman, said she has noticed inflation at Gilman. She mentioned that while she has been here, there seems to have been an increase in the average class grade, although the curriculum has remained roughly the same. Ms. Follensbee said, “I do not see grade inflation as a problem, but more like a reality.” Grade inflation may just be the new normal, with higher class averages replacing traditional norms. As grades get higher across the country, it will continue to be harder for Gilman students to get into top-tier colleges. There are simply far too many qualified applicants than schools have space for, and, with more applicants every cycle, admissions rates continue to go down. She noted that national conferences help college counselors and admissions officers discuss inflation and ways to respond to it. 

As inflation increases across the country, it is becoming increasingly difficult for institutions to examine students. Some schools are now returning to mandatory testing, which could help curb inflation. To conclude, we must revisit Mr. Grason and Mr. Sprinkle's question: do inflated grades actually benefit the student, or do they send overconfident students into difficult and uncertain college environments?