The taxpayer-funded University of Michigan’s College of Literature, Science, and the Arts has announced a pilot program starting next fall to conceal traditional letter grades from first-semester freshmen.

The Daily Caller reports that, instead of letter grades, the transcript will indicate either that the student passed or received no credit for each course, but will not include a letter grade indicator.

The policy aims to ease the intense academic pressure and address the growing college mental health crisis.

Oh wow 😬

University of Michigan will HIDE first-semester grades on transcripts for students in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts

It’s to “curb the mental health crisis”

AND

The policy is mandatory for all students bc “covering an individual’s grades will… pic.twitter.com/YJylVbIjYf

— Neetu Arnold (@neetu_arnold) August 6, 2026

The school’s website explains that “First-Semester Grade Covering Pilot Program” is intended to “help students start strong and curb the mental health crisis unfolding among college-aged individuals.”

Professors will still assign regular letter grades and provide standard feedback internally, however, first-semester final grades will only show as “pass” or “no credit” and will not affect a student’s GPA, according to the NY Post.

Real grades will remain accessible internally for academic advising, scholarships, honors, financial aid, athletic eligibility, or applications to specific majors/internships outside the university’s College of Literature, Science, and the Arts.

The pilot is restricted to incoming LSA freshmen (the university’s largest undergraduate college) and does not apply to other schools like engineering or business.

The University of Michigan joins four other American universities with similar programs — including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), California Institute of Technology, Wellesley College and Swarthmore College.

NPR reports that proponents and faculty argue that removing initial GPA stress helps students adjust to independent adult life and explore challenging subjects without fear of ruining their futures.

At the same time, detractors and some critics tell the Detroit News the policy coddles students, lowers accountability, and fails to prepare young adults for real-world pressures.

The College of Literature, Science, and the Arts is the largest of the University of Michigan’s 19 schools colleges, and had 3,521 first-year students enter in the fall of 2025, according to LSA at a Glance.