Rice Lifts Its Long-standing GPA Cap

In a pivot from traditional measures, the Virani Undergraduate School of Business has officially repealed its long-standing grade cap policy.

On September 23, faculty voted to eliminate the rule that required all business classes to maintain an average GPA of 3.50 — a B+ ceiling that had hovered over students since 2012. The change, reported by The Rice Thresher, is effective immediately and marks another milestone in the school’s evolution, following the launch of its new business major in 2021 and its renaming in 2024.

WHERE THE CAP ORIGINATED

The original cap was born out of a desire to uphold academic rigor and stay in line with the Jones Graduate School of Business. “It felt like a fairly straightforward cap,” said Dean Peter Rodriguez, noting that Rice’s overall GPA average hovered around 3.5.

But what once seemed like a tidy solution slowly morphed into an issue. Students shared their concerns regarding grade deflation, competitive disadvantages in grad school applications, and also the psychological toll of chasing perfection under a ceiling.

Alhena Kerawala, finance head of the Rice Business Society, said the cap had become a deterrent for prospective students. “People felt like it would kind of affect their GPA and that they wouldn’t be able to reach the 4.0 GPA that they wanted,” she said.

Employers and graduate programs, meanwhile, were often unaware of the cap’s existence, which muddled its effectiveness. Catherine Rampell from The New York Times notes grade inflation has been steadily rising across U.S. colleges for decades which complicates how academic performance is perceived in hiring and admissions.

While some are celebrating, some are still worried. Some worry that lifting the cap could open the floodgates to grade inflation. “Professors may come under pressure to grade more leniently,” said Associate Dean Robert Dittmar.

Others, like freshman Adam Towner, think that the cap pushed students to strive harder, especially in comparison to peer institutions like Princeton or MIT, where grade deflation is a badge of honor.

“Maybe this requires a more specific solution than just a sweeping removal of it,” Towner adds.

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