The University of Michigan pass/fail pilot will begin in fall 2027 for first-year LSA students, replacing first-semester grades on external transcripts with pass or no-credit marks while retaining regular grades internally.

Grade-covering pilot begins in fall 2027

The University of Michigan will introduce a first-semester grade-covering pilot in fall 2027 for first-year students in its College of Literature, Science and the Arts, or LSA.

Under the program, eligible students will receive either a passing mark or no credit on external transcripts for their first semester. Professors will still assign regular grades and provide academic feedback, but those grades will not appear on external transcripts or be included in students’ GPAs during the covered term.

Standard letter grading will begin in the second semester and will count toward GPA calculations for the remainder of a student’s enrollment.

Regular grades will remain in university records

Although first-semester letter grades will be covered externally, the university registrar will retain the original grades for internal administrative purposes.

Those records may be used for athletic eligibility, compliance reporting, degree progress, academic honors and awards. Transfer students will not participate in the pilot during their first semester.

The policy is intended to give incoming students more room to adjust to college-level academic expectations, explore unfamiliar subjects and focus on learning without the same concern about the long-term impact of an early lower grade.

Participation will be automatic for eligible freshmen

All eligible first-year LSA students will be enrolled automatically, with no option to withdraw from the grade-covering system. The university says universal participation is intended to prevent students with covered grades from being singled out.

The initiative also aims to encourage collaboration and support student well-being during the transition into college. Similar first-year grading approaches have been used at MIT, Caltech, Swarthmore College and Wellesley College.

Campus discussions planned before launch

LSA leaders plan to hold town halls and other engagement sessions in fall 2026, giving students and other members of the university community opportunities to ask questions and provide input.

The pilot is scheduled to begin with eligible students entering LSA in fall 2027. Its implementation will provide the university with an opportunity to assess how grade covering affects academic adjustment, student learning and the first-semester experience.