Harvard faculty voted to curb grade inflation by limiting the share of A grades instructors can award in letter-graded courses, with the change set to take effect in fall 2027. The policy caps A grades at 20% of enrolled students in a course, plus up to four additional A’s, while leaving other letter grades such as A-minus outside the cap. The vote follows years of debate about whether high GPAs accurately reflect exceptional performance. Supporters said limiting top grades restores the meaning of an A, while critics argued the quota undermines faculty autonomy and imposes an arbitrary boundary on academic achievement. Harvard also approved a related shift for honors and awards by using average percentile rank rather than GPA for internal comparisons. The decision signals elite-institution pressure to redefine grading signals even as faculty and student groups prepare for the academic and signaling consequences of constrained top grades.