Harvard Faculty approved a new plan to curb grade inflation by limiting how many top grades instructors can award. The policy, set to take effect in fall 2027, caps A grades at no more than 20% of enrolled students plus four additional students in letter-graded courses. Supporters say the change will restore meaning to grades and better distinguish truly exceptional performance, citing data that more than 60% of Harvard’s undergraduate grades in recent years fall in the A range. Critics argue the cap undermines faculty autonomy and introduces an arbitrary quota on academic achievement. Faculty also approved changes to honors and awards comparisons, including using average percentile rank rather than GPA. The university’s decision revives a long-running debate at selective institutions about the incentives that can inflate grading distributions.