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Freshmen at the University of Michigan next year will get a semester-long break from having letter grades appear on their transcripts as school officials look for new ways to combat the “mental health crisis” affecting higher education.
Starting in fall 2027, incoming first-year students enrolled in the public research university’s College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA) will have their first-semester grades designated as pass or no credit on their transcripts in an attempt to “curb the mental health crisis unfolding among college-aged individuals,” according to the university.
“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.”
University of Michigan students walk on the UM campus in Ann Arbor, Mich., April 3, 2025. (Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)
The LSA, which is the largest of the university’s 19 colleges and serves approximately 19,700 undergraduate students, will provide students with their letter grades throughout the semester but will not include the final average on their transcripts.
Transcripts will instead show a “P” for pass or “NC” for no credit.
The covered grades will not be factored into students’ grade point averages, a move university officials say will give first-year students greater freedom to explore academically.
“For example, they can explore a subject that may not come easily to them or take a course in a new field without the fear that a low grade may have long-term consequences,” the university added. “LSA is investing in students’ well-being and growth by fostering a culture of connection and collaboration — rather than competition.”
A University of Michigan flag hangs on the Michigan Union building on the school’s campus in Ann Arbor, Mich., July 28, 2025. (Emily Elconin/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Under the new policy, university officials will keep students’ first-semester letter grades internally for administrative purposes, including academic advising, potential academic awards and scholarships, internship and other professional applications, athletic eligibility, compliance reporting, degree progress and financial aid determinations.
Additionally, the 2027 policy only applies to incoming freshmen enrolled in the LSA, with school officials adding there is no opt-out option.
“An opt-in structure would defeat the purpose of facilitating students’ transition to campus, supporting mental health and well-being, and bolstering intrinsic motivations for learning,” the university said.
Michigan is the latest in a small group of schools throughout the country that have chosen to enact similar policies, including Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Swarthmore College and the California Institute of Technology.
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A student walks through the University of Michigan campus in Ann Arbor, Mich., July 28, 2025. (Emily Elconin/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
While the program is aimed at supporting students’ mental health, psychotherapist Jonathan Alpert believes it runs the risk of doing more harm than good.
“We’re raising a generation of students to believe that discomfort is dangerous,” Alpert, author of “Therapy Nation,” told Fox News Digital. “It isn’t. A bad grade can be upsetting, embarrassing and stressful. That’s not a mental health emergency. That’s college.”
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Alpert added that while the policy was created to relieve students of the pressure and stress from the first semester of college, it could actually risk harming their preparedness for life outside of the learning environment.
“This is therapy culture invading the classroom. We’ve spent years turning normal human emotions into symptoms. Stress becomes a mental health issue,” Alpert said. “College should be one of the places where young people discover that they’re tougher than they think.
“A bad grade isn’t psychological harm,” Alpert continued. “Sometimes it’s the wake-up call a student needs.”
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Fox News Digital reached out to the University of Michigan for comment.
