University of Michigan to hide freshman grades in effort to ease mental-health strain

The University of Michigan announced that its College of Literature, Science, and the Arts will conceal freshman grades during the first semester, assigning only pass or no-credit marks and excluding them from official transcripts. While professors will still provide feedback and internal records will capture actual scores for scholarships, awards and advising, the public record will simply state that the courses were pass/no credit.

GPA calculations will resume in the second semester. The initiative is presented as a way to combat the growing mental-health crisis among college students and to encourage cooperation over competition. The policy mirrors recent moves by institutions such as MIT, Caltech, Swarthmore and Wellesley.

The college did not immediately reply to a request for comment.