Harvard has a grade inflation crisis so severe that professors laughed at a Faculty of Arts & Sciences (FAS) meeting when told the average GPA is 3.8 now. Yet instead of hiding this reality, the University is doing something radical: telling the truth.

Classes began Tuesday, and Harvard College is confronting what The Atlantic calls “a question that would be absurd if it weren’t so urgent: Can the world’s top universities get their students to care about learning?”

At some colleges, the real question is whether the universities care enough to try. At Harvard, the answer appears to be yes. Grades have inflated so much that an A is now the average. According to The Crimson’s 2025 senior survey, 82% of graduates reported a GPA of at least 3.7, and 21% had a perfect 4.0. In 2011, only 60% of grades were in the A range; by 2021, nearly 80%.

Meanwhile, students are increasingly disengaged. The faculty report by the Classroom Social Compact Committee last year found “many Harvard College students do not prioritize their courses,” viewing extracurriculars as more meaningful. This spring, 69% of FAS professors surveyed agreed students do not sufficiently prioritize their coursework. Students themselves have called for more rigor, even writing op-eds urging more quizzes and laptop bans.

Given the scrutiny Harvard already faces, it would be easier to bury this issue. Instead, administrators are confronting it openly. In The Atlantic, Dean of Undergraduate Education Amanda Claybaugh described the grading environment candidly: some students earn A’s for excellent work, others for improvement, and still others for pushing through hardship. “So pretty much everyone gets A’s,” she said.

That candor matters. At a time when elite universities are under fire, Harvard put senior administrators on the record about academic decline despite reputational risks. Few peers have been as direct.

Of course, naming the problem is not the same as fixing it. Follow-through will be the real test. For now, Harvard has earned, at best, an A for effort. But choosing to tackle this issue openly, when silence would be safer, signals something important: Harvard College still believes academics should matter. That's the first step toward restoring a culture where real learning is at the center.

1636 EVENT: Join 1636 Forum and the Foundation for Individual Rights & Expression (FIRE) for an exclusive look at Harvard’s results in FIRE’s upcoming 2026 College Free Speech Rankings. The rankings — and 1636 Forum's first-look analysis — will be published on September 9, followed by a live discussion with FIRE leaders on Thursday, September 18, from 8-9 p.m. ET. Register here.

Ask 1636

Each week, we answer a reader question about Harvard and higher education. Send your questions our way!

Q: In light of yesterday’s special edition on Harvard’s lawsuit against the government, can you clarify the school’s First Amendment claim? I’ve heard some say it’s about students’ rights not to be subject to Harvard’s rules, and others say it’s about Harvard’s own rights as an institution. 

1636’s Take: In its lawsuit against the federal government, Harvard’s First Amendment claim is about the University’s own rights, not about students having First Amendment claims against Harvard.

Harvard’s lawsuit argues that the funding freezes and terminations were unconstitutional retaliation against the University for its protected speech and institutional choices (like admissions, hiring, and governance). The government, Harvard says, cut off all research funding to pressure the school after it refused to change those policies. Harvard argues that doing so violated the First Amendment’s protection of free expression. Judge Burroughs agreed and struck down those funding freeze and termination orders on First Amendment (and Title VI) grounds.

Events

  • Chicago, IL — September 15 from 6-8 p.m. CT: President Alan Garber will join a moderated conversation hosted by the Harvard Club of Chicago and Harvard Alumni Association. Register here.

  • Virtual — September 16 from 3:20-4:10 p.m. ET: Harvard psychology professor Steven Pinker and Dartmouth president Sian Beilock will speak at Chronicle Festival’s roundtable “The Value of Viewpoint Diversity.” Register here.

  • Virtual — September 18 from 8-9 a.m. ET: Financial Times subscribers can join FT journalists and guests, including the president of the American Association of Colleges and Universities and former Sequoia chairman Michael Moritz, for “American Universities Under Pressure,” a webinar on how political scrutiny and funding cuts are affecting US higher education and its global competitiveness. Register here.

  • Virtual — September 18 from 8-9 p.m. ET: Join 1636 Forum and FIRE for an exclusive look at Harvard’s results in FIRE’s upcoming 2026 College Free Speech Rankings. The rankings — and 1636 Forum's first-look analysis — will be published on September 9, followed by a live discussion with FIRE leaders on Thursday, September 18, from 8-9 p.m. ET. Register here.

  • Cambridge, MA — September 25: MIT Free Speech Alliance’s third annual conference features keynote speaker Jonathan Rauch, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and contributing editor to The Atlantic. Register for free here.

FYIs

Judge Rules in Harvard’s Favor in Federal Funding Case, Theoretically Restoring $3.2B in Research Grants

  • U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs ruled Wednesday that the federal government’s Freeze Orders and Termination Letters against Harvard revoking its federal funding were unconstitutional and unlawful.

  • The case was decided on summary judgment, avoiding trial at the district court level. 

  • The government has already said it will appeal; a White House spokesperson stated that Harvard “remains ineligible for grants in the future.”

  • If appealed, the case moves to the First Circuit. If Harvard wins there too, the case could reach the Supreme Court. Either the Court agrees with Burroughs’ reasoning, as HLS professor Noah Feldman (AB ‘92) argues it might, or directs Harvard’s lawsuit to the specialized Court of Federal Claims for adjudication as it did in another recent federal funding case.  

  • On paper, Burroughs’ decision restores $3.2 billion of Harvard’s lost research funding and has been “cautiously” applauded as a win; in practice, the government may file a stay (pause) pending appeal to block disbursement until the appeals process concludes. 

  • For more information, read our special edition on the ruling and what’s next for Harvard here.

FAS Faculty Survey Highlights Slight Shift in Faculty Politics

  • The latest release of results from The Crimson’s annual FAS survey highlights a shifting, but still disproportionate, liberal tilt in the faculty’s political composition: 

    • 63% of respondents identified as liberal, down from more than 70% in 2024 and above 80% two years earlier. 

    • Even so, more identified as “very liberal” or “moderate” this year, suggesting a polarization away from the “somewhat liberal” middle. 

    • 10% identified as somewhat or very conservative, up from 5% in 2024.  

    • A majority (56%) of faculty opposed making a “concerted effort” to hire more conservative faculty.

    • On divestment, faculty were nearly split: 41% opposed divesting from Israeli companies, while 36% supported it. This is a shift from 2024, when a plurality favored divestment.

Harvard Revises Student Orientation and Training Programs

  • Harvard has restructured elements of its pre-orientation and student training, reflecting a mix of evolving institutional priorities and possible responses to federal pressure:

    • The College required antisemitism training for pre-orientation leaders led by Project Shema. One attending student asked: “The elephant in the room is that the two biggest ‘-isms’ that have been discussed at Harvard’s campus are Islamophobia and antisemitism . . . What went into the decision of deciding that one needed a presentation and the other one didn’t?”

    • FYRE, a program for first-generation and low-income students, eliminated its evening events for BGLTQ and racial minority students. One participant said she still connected with peers from similar backgrounds and was “glad that FYRE still exists.”

    • The First-Year Urban Program replaced panels of local organizers with faculty-led sessions on policy topics like housing and added support for students to develop personal civic narratives.

  • At the Kennedy School, all incoming students completed a new “constructive disagreement” module through the Candid and Constructive Conversations initiative, featuring practice with a custom chatbot and group discussions on tough policy topics.  

Government Issues Research Espionage Guidance, Cites Former Harvard Professor as Case Study

  • The Department of Education and the National Counterintelligence and Security Center have issued guidance warning U.S. universities about foreign efforts to exploit taxpayer-funded research. 

  • Their “Safeguarding Academia” bulletin warns of risks from foreign talent programs, international partnerships, and cyberattacks, and urges stronger disclosure of foreign ties, tighter vetting of researchers, and more reporting of suspicious activity.

  • The bulletin cites Harvard as a case study, pointing to former Chemistry and Chemical Biology Chair Charles Lieber’s conviction for secretly accepting funds from China’s Thousand Talents Plan (which recruits non-Chinese foreign experts) while receiving millions in U.S. federal grants. After serving two years of supervised release, he now holds a faculty position in China.

  • Since January, the federal government has opened investigations or records requests into improper foreign funding disclosures at Harvard, UC Berkeley, University of Michigan, and University of Pennsylvania.

Federal Government Proposes 4-Year Cap on International Student Visas

  • The federal government has proposed capping international academic student (F) and exchange visitor (J) visas at four years, regardless of a student’s program length. 

  • Under the proposal, visa holders would need to apply for extensions and undergo periodic Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reviews after four years; graduate students would also be barred from transferring institutions or changing academic objectives mid-program. 

  • Currently, F and J visas allow students to remain in the U.S. until their studies are complete. While undergraduate and masters degrees typically run four years or fewer, PhD or specialized medical education can be double the length. 

  • DHS argued that open-ended visas invite fraud, citing cases of students who have remained in the U.S. for decades. 

Harvard College Disciplinary Cases Tripled in 2023-24

  • In the 2023-24 school year, the College’s disciplinary board, the Administrative Board (“Ad Board”), handled 90 student cases — tripling from the prior year after years of decline.

  • More than half were tied to pro-Palestine protests, including the November 2023 University Hall occupation and the April-May 2024 encampment; 58 students were placed on probation and one was required to withdraw.

  • Initially, the University suspended five students and barred 13 seniors from graduating. The FAS Faculty Council later intervened, resulting in downgraded sanctions and all 13 seniors received their degrees.

  • The unprecedented volume of protest-related cases in the 2023-24 school year marked a shift for the Ad Board, which has traditionally focused on issues like alcohol or sexual misconduct. 

  • Protest activity has declined in the year since, with recent demonstrations largely in support of Harvard and against the federal government’s actions. None have led to disciplinary action.

At Convocation, Garber Urges Exploration and Dialogue; Deming Highlights Opportunity in AI Era

  • At Undergraduate Convocation, President Alan Garber (AB ’76, PhD ’82) welcomed the Class of 2029 by urging students to embrace discomfort, seek out unfamiliar experiences, and engage deeply with peers. “Each of you is here to teach as you learn,” he said, encouraging students to reject binary thinking and grow through dialogue. 

  • College Dean David Deming (PhD ‘10), in his first Convocation address since succeeding Rakesh Khurana (PhD ‘98), called AI a moment of opportunity, arguing a liberal arts and sciences education will be increasingly valuable in a changing economy.

  • A small group of students protested during Convocation by handing out fake programs and urging Harvard to divest from Israel. They accused the University of “colluding with the government.”

Northwestern University President Resigns

  • Northwestern President Michael Schill announced he will step down, stating “now is the right time for new leadership to guide Northwestern into its next chapter” and that this was a decision he made “in consultation with the leadership of the Board of Trustees.”

  • During his three-year tenure, Northwestern climbed to No. 6 in U.S. News & World Report rankings and raised nearly $2.5 billion, but Schill also faced criticism over his handling of antisemitism on campus and the fallout from a football hazing scandal.

  • Following federal scrutiny of Northwestern’s antisemitism response, the government froze more than $790 million in the school’s research funds, leading to job cuts and financial strain.

  • Schill will remain in office until an interim is named, then take a sabbatical before returning to teach at Northwestern’s law school.

More News

More News at Harvard:

  • The Crimson: “HBS Grad Expands Suit to Include Harvard Vice President, Former HUPD Chief”

  • The Crimson: “Harvard College To Remove Designated Spaces for Women’s Center, Office for BGLTQ Student Life”

  • CNN: “‘Don’t negotiate, Linda’: Trump calls for $500 million Harvard settlement”

  • Boston Globe: “At Harvard, lines are drawn in a shifting sand against Trump”

  • Boston Globe: “A DOJ lawyer accused Harvard of ‘indifference to antisemitism.’ As a Harvard undergrad he wrote a paper from Hitler’s perspective.”

  • The Crimson: “Harvard Covers Hillel’s Security Expenses for Year”

  • Harvard Gazette: “Why institutions thrive on disagreement”

  • Harvard Gazette: “Funding cuts upend projects piecing together saga of human history”

  • Washington Free Beacon: “Harvard Tells Students Calling Someone A 'Terrorist Sympathizer' Can Violate School Policy”

  • FIRE: “FIRE statement on ruling that Trump’s funding freeze for Harvard was unlawful” 

  • WIRED: “Harvard Professor Answers Middle East Questions” — feat. HKS Professor Tarek Masoud 

  • The Boston Globe: “Why do good scientists create bad science?” — feat. HBS Professor Matt Bazerman 

  • Bloomberg: “The Harvard Ruling Was Written Just for Amy Coney Barrett” — by HLS Professor Noah Feldman (AB ‘92)

  • The Edge: “Why Harvard Business School’s case method is such a powerful learning tool” — by HBS professor George Serafiem (DBA ‘10)

  • Education Next: “The Education Exchange: As Trump Continues the Fight with Higher Ed, Will Harvard Be the Next Domino to Fall?” — conversation between HKS Professor Paul Peterson and Nieman Fellow Ilya Marritz

  • The Crimson: “Harvard Should Require Pre-Orientation” — op-ed by L.A. Karnes (AB ‘28)

  • The Crimson: “What the Empty Basement in Canaday Says About Harvard” — op-ed by Sylvia Langer (AB ’28)

More News Beyond Harvard:

  • Higher Ed Dive: “Cornell University plans to restructure later this year amid federal funding declines”

  • Cornell Sun: “University to Revise Student Code of Conduct, Procedures”

  • Bloomberg: “Newsom's Crusade Against Trump Is Complicating UCLA's Funding Fight”

  • New York Times: “Trump Says He Welcomes Chinese Students, as His Administration Blocks Them”

  • The Atlantic: “AI Has Broken High School and College”

  • Wall Street Journal: “There Is Now Clearer Evidence AI Is Wrecking Young Americans’ Job Prospects”

  • The Atlantic: “College-Age Jews Are Heading South”

  • Washington Post: “The political ‘diploma divide’ now applies to members of Congress”

  • NBC News: “Agree to disagree: How chat platforms and AI could transform campus debates”

  • National Review: “‘The Four I’s of Oppression’: Inside DEI Training for Princeton’s Dorm Supervisors”

  • Inside Higher Ed: “HHS Lawyer: NIH Shouldn’t Re-Terminate Grants After SCOTUS Ruling”

  • Inside Higher Ed: “The Battle for ‘Viewpoint Diversity’”

  • Spectrum News: “UCLA professor the first to use new AI software in classroom to encourage open dialogue” — on UCLA sociology professor Abigail Saguy

  • Wall Street Journal: “The Elite College Myth” — essay by college admissions journalist Jeffrey Selingo ft. research by Dean of Harvard College David Deming (PhD ‘10)

  • Wall Street Journal: “Stanford’s Graduate Student Union Tries to Stifle Dissent” — op-ed by Stanford Hoover Institution Fellow Jon Hartley (MPP ‘21)

  • Boston Globe: “If Trump wants to eliminate fraud at universities, why gut research integrity agencies?” — staff editorial by the Boston Globe editorial board

  • The Atlantic: “Higher Ed Has a Bigger Problem Than Trump” — by Boston University humanities lecturer E. Thomas Finan

  • Eternally Radical Idea: “Footnotes to the recent New York Times piece on FIRE” — in response to this piece that FIRE published in the New York Times last week  

  • The Times: “I’m a Stanford student. A Chinese agent tried to recruit me as a spy” — op-ed by Stanford junior Elsa Johnson

  • New York Times: “Students Hate Them. Universities Need Them. The Only Real Solution to the A.I. Cheating Crisis.” — op-ed by Clay Shirky, Vice Provost for AI and Technology at NYU

This is a work-in-progress newsletter, so we appreciate any and all feedback & if you have links / blurbs for next week's edition, please let us know!
—The 1636 Forum Team