University Will Curb the Mental Health Crisis by Hiding First Semester Grades From Transcripts

Doug P. | 9:04 AM on August 08, 2026

Around the country there are universities attempting to put a stop to any potential emotional triggering of students, up to and including this University of California policy that has backfired so hard (and predictably) that it could be reversed.

Absolutely incredible…

University of California professors are now asking the school to reinstate the SAT for admissions because their new students are unable to do high school-level work.

They stopped using standardized tests for admissions in 2020 to promote "equity". pic.twitter.com/4MO87iTKCs
— Geiger Capital (@Geiger_Capital) August 7, 2026

That was entirely predictable and it's scary that people who run "institutions of higher learning" (or maybe that should be "learing") either didn't or refused to see that coming.

However, the University of Michigan will nevertheless move forward with a plan to spare incoming freshmen any hurt feelings due to poor grades.

The University of Michigan announced it will hide first semester grades from freshmen's official transcripts in an effort to curb the mental health crisis.

MRC's @Justine_Brooke on @foxandfriends @FoxNews pic.twitter.com/LBScacqYpB
— Media Research Center (@theMRC) August 7, 2026

The "mental health crisis" call is coming from inside their own house.

UMich Will Hide Grades@will_asks discusses how the University of Michigan will start hiding students’ grades in attempt to curb a ‘mental health crisis’#umich #michigan #universityofmichigan #mentalhealth pic.twitter.com/WFxJacjFkS
— Campus Reform (@campusreform) August 6, 2026

They won't be using the word "fail" either because it could make somebody cry.

The University of Michigan's largest undergraduate college will stop issuing letter grades to first-year students during their first semester, starting in fall 2027.
The College of Literature, Science, and the Arts announced the pilot program this week, saying it's designed to help incoming freshmen adjust to college-level coursework without the pressure of a grade affecting their GPA.
LSA is Michigan's largest college, enrolling more than 18,000 students across over 80 majors and minors.
Under the new policy, first-year LSA students will still receive traditional letter grades and instructor feedback for every course. But those grades won't appear on external transcripts or count toward GPA calculations. Instead, transcripts will show a "P" for pass or "NC" for no credit.