The realities of grade inflation

"One thing is true in general: The more tuition you pay, the higher the average Grade Point Average."

—Stuart Rojstaczer

All of us have stories. When I was in college, I had an 89 average in biology at the end of the semester. That effort earned a C. In most of today’s classes an 89 results in a B+.

It’s not your imagination. Grade inflation is real, and averages are still climbing, says Stuart Rojstaczer (GradeInflation.com and “The Monitor on Psychology”).

However, variations exist. Test yourself by answering the following questions. (Don’t worry. I promise you’ll make an A for effort.) Is grade inflation higher in public schools or in private schools? Is inflation higher at selective or less selective schools? Have community colleges inflated grades as much as four-year colleges?

Higher GPAs

In the 1930s, the average grade point average in all colleges was 2.35. In the 1950s, average GPAs rose to 2.52. In the last reported year, 2007, the average grade point average was 3.11. Researchers found that in the 1980s averages began to increase at a rate of about 0.1 or 0.2 points per decade. The trend continues.

Studying more than 210 schools (including several of Virginia’s private and public colleges), Rojstaczer discovered that, on average, private colleges grade higher than public colleges. The average grade point average at public colleges is now 3.01 and at private colleges is 3.30.

Among public colleges, “flagship” state schools in the South have the highest grade inflation. However, since the 1980s, the selectivity of the college is also a factor.

“Highly selective schools had an average GPA of 3.43 if they were private and 3.22 if they were public as of 2006. Schools with average selectivity had a GPA of 3.11 if they were private and 2.98 if they were public. Non-selective public schools (typically with 15 percent rejection rates or less) had GPAs in the 2.8-range or less, and tend to have only modest grade inflation. Some have none,” says Rojstaczer.

Interestingly, the author reports that community colleges have experienced almost no grade inflation and that grades have actually dropped in many cases.

Customer’s always right

Why have colleges inflated grades?

Beginning in the 1980s a consumer-based culture emerged in colleges. Students began to pay more and to insist on higher grades.

“In this culture, professors are not only compelled to grade easier, but also to water down course content. Both intellectual rigor and grading standards have weakened. The evidence for this is not merely anecdotal,” claims Rojstaczer.

In addition to his research, Rojstaczer offers a few

observations he has not yet put to the test.

His own belief is that as the average GPA climbed, so did student anxiety. Students panic much more quickly than in the past.

Last word: Irony

To add a touch of irony to grade inflation, the author sites a study that found: “Study time for full-time students fell by 50 percent between 1961 and 2003 ... and the declines occurred at colleges of every type, size, degree structure, and level of selectivity.”

West is a professor at Lynchburg College. His book, ‘The Shelbys,’ has been translated into Indonesian and Czech. Readers may write to West in care of The News & Advance, P.O. Box 10129, Lynchburg, VA 24506.