University of Michigan will use pass-fail grades for first-semester freshmen

The University of Michigan’s College of Literature, Science and the Arts will start using pass/no credit grades for first-semester freshmen in fall 2027, ending final letter grades for the opening term. The change will appear on official transcripts as pass or no credit and will apply to first-year students in LSA, the university’s largest undergraduate college.

Michigan is calling the policy the LSA First-Semester Grade Covering Pilot Program. The college says the goal is to help incoming students try different classes and settle into college-level coursework without the fear that a low grade will immediately drag down a grade-point average.

That puts Ann Arbor in the middle of a broader national argument over how colleges should respond to student stress. Supporters of softer first-semester grading say a pass/no credit system can reduce pressure during a difficult transition and encourage academic exploration. Critics argue that stripping away letter grades can also reduce early feedback and blur expectations for rigor, especially for students who need a clear measure of how they are performing.

Michigan already uses pass/fail grading in some contexts, but this pilot extends that approach to all first-semester freshmen in LSA. The college’s largest undergraduate unit enrolls a sizable share of the university’s first-year class, so the policy will affect many students entering campus life in Ann Arbor.

The university has tied the change to concerns about stress, depression and anxiety among students, and campus mental health resources remain a visible part of that response. The University of Michigan’s Dean of Students Office says psychiatric emergency services are available 24/7/365. University materials also direct students to mental health support services, reinforcing that the grading shift is being introduced alongside, not instead of, existing support systems.

For Michigan, the pilot is both a grading change and a test case. If the pass/no credit model helps freshmen adjust without sacrificing academic standards, other colleges may see it as a workable compromise. If it weakens motivation or delays useful feedback, it could sharpen the debate over how much academic pressure universities should remove in the name of student well-being.