Harvard University

At Harvard University, earning straight A's is about to get harder. Harvard's Faculty of Arts and Sciences announced Wednesday that it would limit the number of A grades awarded to undergraduates, adopting one of the most ambitious efforts by a major university to curb grade inflation. The decision was made by faculty vote earlier this month. The move comes after top grades became so common that some Harvard faculty argued they no longer reliably distinguished exceptional work. More than 60% of all grades awarded to undergraduates in recent years were in the A range, according to university data cited by faculty members who supported the measure. Harvard is not the first elite university to confront grade inflation. Princeton University adopted a policy in 2004 to limit A-range grades to 35% of those awarded, though it abandoned the system a decade later after criticism that it disadvantaged students in competition for jobs and graduate school admission. Nationally, grade-point ...

If found to be in violation of the law, the department can strip Harvard of its federal funding and render the college ineligible for federal financial aid, steps threatened in the past

The announcement was first reported by The Harvard Crimson, the student newspaper

From 2013 until his death, Epstein donated at least $375,000 to the organisation, the Justice Department documents show

The university said it has complied with civil rights law under a 2023 Supreme Court decision, which effectively barred universities from using race as a factor in university admissions

The plan would cap A grades at 20 per cent of undergraduates, with some flexibility, across courses and departments if it's approved by faculty ahead of the 2026-2027 school year

Harvard recorded its highest-ever share of international students in fall 2025, but Indian enrolment dropped sharply while Chinese numbers rose.

The share of foreign students enrolled at Harvard in the fall of 2025 rose slightly to 28%, or 6,749 students, according to data published by the university

Renowned ecologist Madhav Gadgil, whose work reshaped conservation policy and the Western Ghats debate, leaves behind a legacy rooted in science, equity and fearless truth-telling

Through a spokesperson, Summers declined to comment on Harvard's new investigation, which was reported earlier by the Harvard Crimson

In one email, sent in October 2017, Summers told Epstein that Trump was the 'world s luckiest guy in terms of opposition, economy etc. still think his world will collapse'

The report's author, Harvard undergraduate dean Amanda Claybaugh, urged faculty to curtail the practice of awarding top scores to the majority of students, saying it undermines academic culture

Dominic King of Microsoft AI said Copilot aims to give answers that closely match what users would get from a medical practitioner, improving on current capabilities

On April 2, Trump announced an unparalleled increase in tariffs on goods imported into the US from most of its trading partners during a ceremony labelled "Liberation Day"

US District Judge Allison Burroughs has already ruled in favour of Harvard in the case, declaring last month that the government had unlawfully sought to terminate research grants

Judge Allison Burroughs ruled that Harvard grant terminations were unlawful over antisemitism claims, but final judgment is pending with a status report due by Oct 3

Donald Trump said Harvard will invest $500 mn in AI and trade schools as part of a potential deal, after a bitter standoff over federal funding, antisemitism and campus activism

Harvard has 20 days to appeal the decision, but it could totally lose access to research grants, student aid and government contracts if the HHS debarment is upheld

The Trump administration escalated its fight with Harvard University on Friday, placing the Ivy League school under extra financial oversight and threatening sanctions if it does not provide additional data on its admissions practices. Education Secretary Linda McMahon said the department was placing Harvard under heightened cash monitoring, forcing the school to use its own money to pay out financial aid for students and then seek reimbursement from the government. She also threatened further enforcement action if the school does not turn over records to prove it no longer is considering race in admissions. Harvard did not respond to a request for comment. The moves are part of the administration's crackdown on Harvard as President Donald Trump seeks to eradicate what he describes as liberal bias at colleges around the country. Since taking office, Trump has used the Education Department in unprecedented ways, cutting federal research grants for schools that do not accede to his .

Multiple US colleges are trying to hammer out financial agreements with the White House to settle charges of political bias and regain access to vital research grants