# Bearometer 17: Grade Policy

**Source**: https://bearometer.berkeley.edu/2026/02/21/bearometer-17-grade-policy/
**Parent**: https://bearometer.berkeley.edu/

Written by

[bearometerkeeper](https://bearometer.berkeley.edu/author/bearometer/)

in

[Uncategorized](https://bearometer.berkeley.edu/category/uncategorized/)

The Faculty Bearometer sent the following question on February 11, 2026 to 2,668 faculty senate members:\
Which of the following best reflects your preference for undergraduate grading policy at Berkeley?

- Maintain the current system: grading remains primarily at instructor discretion, without campus-wide grade targets\
  or caps
- Adopt non-binding recommended grade distributions for some or all courses (e.g., broad targets for the share of A-\
  range, B-range, and C-range grades, or a recommended cap on A grades), with instructors free to diverge as\
  appropriate.
- Adopt binding constraints on grade distributions for some or all courses (e.g., an explicit curve or cap on As, similar\
  to the proposed Harvard College policy capping A grades at 20% in large courses).
- Other

N=290. 249 regular faculty responded (14.9%), 41 emerita responded (4%). Faculty from all 32 of our high-level units participated. The survey had a 5-day window

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