An analysis from the University’s Office of Institutional Research and Analytics shows a steady increase in undergraduate cumulative grade point averages over the past 15 years at the University. This reflects a broader pattern known as grade inflation — where students are awarded higher grades on average without a corresponding increase in academic performance. The University’s spring term data from 2010-25 show the overall mean GPA climbing from roughly 3.24 to approximately 3.61, with a notable jump between 2019 and 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, the undergraduate GPA average at the University has stabilized at approximately 3.60.
The undergraduate GPA data — which tracks mean cumulative GPAs across schools, years and genders — indicates that the average GPA for undergraduates of all years and all schools at the University rose from approximately 3.39 in 2018 to approximately 3.60 in 2021. The GPA showed a decrease to 3.56 in 2022 before gradually increasing to 3.61 by 2025.
Gender breakdowns show similar upward trends for male, female and students of “another gender,” with female students consistently posting slightly higher mean GPAs than male students. Across the 2010-25 period, female students’ mean cumulative GPAs are generally about 0.05-0.07 points higher than those of male students.
Within this overall rise, schools at the University display distinct grading patterns. The School of Data Science — which officially opened April 26, 2024 — had the highest average GPA in 2025 and appears at the top of the most recent distribution, with mean GPAs above 3.7. The School of Nursing also ranks among the highest averages — with median GPAs reaching near 3.8 in 2021 and remaining in the 3.7 range since.
The McIntire School of Commerce and Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy have GPA data available beginning 2013. Batten’s GPA averages have fallen between 3.6 and 3.74 since 2019, and McIntire’s averages have fallen between 3.63 and 3.68 since 2015.
The College of Arts and Sciences remains toward the lower end of the distribution, with average GPAs gradually increasing but not reaching the mid-3.5 to around 3.60 range until 2021. The School of Architecture reports slightly higher average GPAs than the College through 2020, before both enter the mid-3.5 range in 2021. The School of Engineering also remains toward the lower end of the distribution and does not reach the 3.5 range until 2020.
According to data published by the U.S. Department of Education, the increase of GPAs at the University reflects broader national trends in American higher education. Average GPAs for four-year public and private not-for-profit institutions have risen by more than 16 percent between 1990 and 2020 — with A grades awarded in the U.S. more frequently than any other grade in 2020.
A 2019 study by sociologists Joseph Hermanowicz and David Woodring analyzed more than 460,000 grades and found that 73 percent of grades at public higher education institutions in the United States were A’s and B’s, demonstrating how heavily grades are concentrated at the upper end of the grading scale. The study also reports that in 1960, the most commonly awarded grade at U.S. higher education institutions was a C.
As undergraduate GPAs at the University remain elevated, Keith Williams, associate professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, wrote in an email statement to The Cavalier Daily that the trends in the University’s published data align with what faculty are observing in their own courses, noting that Engineering students are earning higher grades on average than in the past. He added that current GPAs in the School of Engineering fall roughly between 3.44 and 3.63, which he characterized as high and indicated that he anticipates that this upward trend will continue.
Williams attributed the increase to a combination of structural and cultural factors, including an increase in the number of students receiving academic accommodations for disabilities and what he described as general faculty fatigue. He also pointed to the University’s grade-replacement policy — a policy that allows students who repeat certain courses to have the higher grade count toward their GPA, though both attempts remain on their transcript.
According to Williams, many instructors view grade inflation as a trend that individual departments have limited ability to reverse.
“No single faculty member wants to be the bastion of traditionalism — broadly speaking, faculty perceive grade inflation as an unavoidable trend,” Williams wrote. “Opinions differ quite sharply on the cause, but I think you will find broad agreement that GPA inflation is happening and is probably unavoidable.”
Williams also confirmed that more students are earning A-range grades than in previous years. He wrote that faculty responses have generally accepted these trends rather than actively resisting them. He also noted that Engineering departments often emphasize opportunities such as research and internships as alternative ways for students to distinguish themselves from other students whose GPAs may be similar.
Student perspectives reflect varied experiences with grading practices. Second-year Engineering student Sladjana Suzic said students in the Engineering department often have mixed views about whether their GPAs accurately reflect the rigor of their coursework.
“I’d say that it’s really in the middle,” Suzic said. “For some people, they think it’s fair, so their GPA does reflect the rigor of the classes. But for other people, they feel like it’s way too hard in comparison to … the [College].”
According to Suzic, curved exams are common in some Engineering courses, particularly when exam averages are low. In one of her computer science classes, she said exam averages fell into the 50 percent range before the professor applied a curve to raise the distribution to a more typical range — such as between 60 to 70 percent.
Suzic added that these curves are typically applied equally to all students in the classes, raising the overall average while still preserving differences in students’ academic performance. She also noted that GPAs often play a limited role when Engineering students apply for internships. Although employers may set minimum GPA requirements, she said many place greater emphasis on practical experience such as prior internships or research opportunities.
Susan Fraiman, director of undergraduate programs in English and English professor, similarly wrote in an email statement to The Cavalier Daily that her grading patterns in her own courses align with the data from the University’s OIRA — which shows a rise in undergraduate GPAs over the past 15 years. Speaking about her own grading practices rather than the department as a whole, she said she now assigns fewer B-minuses and more A-pluses in her courses. While grades have “skewed up,” she wrote that the overall range of grades in her classes have not changed because she has expanded it at the top — allowing some students to earn higher grades without eliminating lower grades.
“For me, an A+ for a semester grade used to be a rarity — in recent years, that's somewhat less true,” Fraiman wrote. “But the point is that there's still a range and, therefore, still a basis for comparison.”
In reviewing candidates for scholarships in the English department, Fraiman said that the department begins by considering students with GPAs above 3.8 in the major — a benchmark she described as a useful starting point for distinguishing students. She added that, in her view, even though average grades have been rising overall, higher grades still reflect measurable differences in students’ academic performance.
“[It is not] my sense that I’m lowering my standards. I think my classes are as rigorous as ever, and I’m happy giving grades that reflect my high regard for student work,” Fraiman wrote. “I might add that, in English, we give feedback in the form of substantial comments that are at least as important as the grade.”
Williams, however, questioned the importance American institutions place on GPA. Drawing on his own experience studying in multiple countries with different cultures surrounding grading, he argued that American institutions assign excessive weight to a single numerical indicator. He said that he would prefer a simplified system of “pass,” “pass with distinction” and “retake,” rather than the traditional letter-grade plus-minus structure.
As GPAs continue to cluster in the mid-3.5 range and above, Williams advised students not to rely solely on GPA as a distinguishing factor on transcripts and resumes.
“My advice to students is to realize that GPA is not a particularly distinguishing factor on their transcript or resume … I don’t think that [the School of Engineering] … [does] nearly enough to support the opportunities that help students demonstrate who they are and what they can do,” Williams wrote. “We faculty don’t exist to provide barriers and point values for those who clear them … We exist to provide learning opportunities and support students to learn.”
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