Anecdotal evidence abounds in the conversation about grade inflation. 
Although this kind of evidence provides compelling personal stories, it does
not suffice to demonstrate a trend upward in grading, let along justify a conclusion that grades are inflated.  To examine the issue, researchers look
for the following:

• Trends in average institutional GPAs over time as reported on student transcripts
• Trends in grades as reported by student expectations
• Data suggesting grade compression
• Trends in GPAs according to student rank (for example, freshman, sophomore, junior, senior; or lower division vs. upper division)
• Grading cultures of different disciplines (humanities vs. sciences, for example)

The sources we list here all contain one or more of these kinds of
evidence.  Sources are presented in reverse chronological order.  Links
have been included where possible.  You can email any additional sources
to ellbogenctl@uwyo.edu, and we will consider inclusion on the site.

Beyond Grade Inflation:  Grading Problems in Higher Education by Shouping Hu (ASHE Higher Education Report, Vol. 30, No. 6, 2005)

Summarizing a wide variety of research, Hu concludes that neither grade inflation nor grade compression can be substantiated by the evidence.  Problems such as serious grade disparities do exist, and Hu provides suggestions for addressing these at institutional and policy levels.
 

Principal Indicators of Student Academic Histories in Postsecondary Education by Clifford Adelman (Washington DC:  U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, 2004)

Through transcript analysis of college grades for three cohorts of students from 1972-1992,  Adelman finds only minor  decreases and increases and no evidence for grade inflation.  He concludes, "Judging by both distribution of letter grades and GPAs, changes have been minor and complex since the high school class of 1972 went to college" (77).  This frequently-sited national longitudinal study was designed and conducted by the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCSE).

GradeInflation.com  by Stuart Rojstaczer (Last updated in 2003) 

Rojstaczer published this commonly cited website subsequent to an article he wrote for the Washington Post (January 28, 2003) about grade inflation.  He presents data collected from over 30 colleges and universities during the past 35 years.
 

Grade Inflation:  A Crisis in College Education by Valen Johnson (New York: 
Springer-Verlag, 2003)

Using results from the DUET (Duke Undergraduates Evaluate Teaching) survey and other educational research, Johnson explores the connection between grades, student evaluations of teaching (SETs), and course selection.  He concludes, among other things, that grading practices do influence SETs and that grade inflation exists.   
 

Reports of Grade Inflation May be Inflated, Study Finds by Catherine E. Shoichet, (The Chronicle of Higher Education, July 12, 2002)

According to the U.S. Department of Education report "Profile of Undergraduates in U.S. Postsecondary Education Institutions: 1999-2000," more than a third of the 16.5 million undergraduates profiled earned grades of C or below. 

Unraveling the Complexity of the Increase in College Grades From the Mid-1980s to the Mid-1990s by  George D. Kuh and Shouping Hu (Education Evaluation and Policy Analysis,  Vol 21, No. 3,  Fall 1999)

 Analyzing data from the national CSEQ database of thousands of student self reports (the College Student Experience Questionnaire), Kuh and Hu find that college grades increased over the period of a decade by about a third of a grade (from 3.07 – 3.34), with significant variations related to institutional type, gender, class status, and other factors. (Education Evaluation and Policy Analysis,Fall 1999, Vol 21, No. 3, pp. 297-320.)

When Hope and Fear Collide:  A Portrait of Today's College Student by Arthur Levine and Jeanette S. Cureton (San Francisco:  Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1998)

In this frequently-cited book, the authors report data from self-reported undergraduate student surveys of 1969, 1976, and 1993 that show an increase in grades over time.  These data occur on pp. 124 - 126 and Appendix A.

Trends in Undergraduate Grades by Bruce Beck (University of Wisconsin--Madison, Office of Budget, Planning, and Analysis, 1999)

As part of an internal study, researchers at the University of Wisconsin analyzed GPA trends for the period 1990-1998.  They found evidence of grade inflation (using ACT scores and earned GPA), differences in grading philosophies between different departments, and variances among faculty grading philosophies in the same department.  

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Grades at the University of Wyoming