Harvard Students Distraught Over Grading Reforms

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Sophiko Chumburidze

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Zahra Rohaninejad

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Undergraduate students can take up to 11 courses out of 32 on a PA/FL basis, though traditionally, there has not been a strong culture of using the system widely, as some majors or general education requirements historically required letter grades .

The PA/FL grading option is especially used in independent study courses, while other introductory courses have gradually incorporated related Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (SAT/UNS) policies. For instance, in 2010, there was a proposal to eliminate letter grades in the CS50 course in favor of SAT/UNS, allowing students to receive SAT in place of A through C- and UNS instead of D+ through E.
This initiative led to the successful introduction of SAT/UNS in CS50 in 2013, with the option later becoming the default in 2017.

The PA/FL system provides students flexibility to explore courses outside their primary areas of study without the stress associated with conventional letter grading. It is designed to encourage intellectual exploration, though students’ choice of major or concentration may still limit how many courses they take Pass/Fail .
The system has historically existed alongside standard letter grades, giving students the option to preserve their GPA or approach challenging subjects at lower risk.
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In summary, Harvard’s pass/fail grading system has been a long-standing feature of undergraduate education, allowing students to take multiple courses PA/FL for both curricular flexibility and academic experimentation, with formal historical evidence of its use going back several decades and specific program implementations, such as in CS50, becoming prominent since 2010

-Harvard University

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Soooooo instead of going to class to try to learn and take notes to better your grade, you stayed in bed crying? You deserve your bad grades.

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"I can't reach my maximum level of enjoyment just learning the material because I'm so anxious about the midterm, so anxious about the papers, and because I know it's so harshly graded," she said. "If that standard is raised even more, it's unrealistic to assume that people will enjoy their classes."

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"What makes a Harvard student a Harvard student is their engagement in extracurriculars(Like protesting))," he said. "Now we have to throw that all away and just pursue academics."

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That person is phucked for life. They'll have a mountain of debt and be crying now or in 4 years for how crappy their life is with a Harvard degree and no job prospect.

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Approximately $19,500 per year
The average student at Harvard pays approximately $19,500 per year after all financial aid is factored in, according to recent data. However, the total cost of attendance, including tuition and fees, is around $82,866. Additionally, the average net price for students receiving need-based aid is about $15,126.

--Harvard University

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$200,000 or less annually
Harvard University has made its education free for families earning $200,000 or less annually, with the expansion of financial aid beginning in the 2025-26 academic year. This means that students from families with incomes below this threshold will not have to pay tuition fees.
CNBC

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"The whole entire day, I was crying," said freshman Sophiko Chumburidze, an economics, environmental science, and public policy major who says she believes the fields are "essential to building a more equitable, sustainable world."

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