Hillsdale College GPAs have risen more than one-tenth of a point over the last decade, according to data from the Provost’s Office.

The average GPA for men and women was 3.46 for the fall 2025 semester, which is a decrease from its peak of 3.53 in the spring 2020 semester, but an increase from 10 years ago, in the fall 2015 semester, when the average was 3.33.

While GPAs have remained steady in the past five years, rising from 3.43 in fall 2020 to 3.46 in fall 2025, they have trended upward in the last 20 years. The average GPA in the fall 2006 semester, for example, was 3.16.

“There are some practical reasons we may be seeing GPAs rise,” Associate Dean of Men Jeffery Rogers said. “Students are coming in better prepared in many cases, and there are more academic supports available to help them succeed. There is also a greater awareness among students of how grades impact future opportunities, which can drive discipline in their work.” 

Grade inflation is, however, prevalent at other institutions, according to a recent article by the Washington Post.

Two-thirds of all grades at Harvard College were A’s, and another 18% were A-, according to a Washington Post article,

There are a variety of reasons that could be contributing to an increase in grades, according to Director of Institutional Research Joshua Trojniak.

“I think we are getting a better caliber of student,” Trojniak said. “Is that what is leading to the inflation? It is a bit more difficult to determine that.”

Associate Vice President of Admissions Zachary Miller said the college’s applicant pool has grown in recent years, leading to an increase in the academic profile of incoming students.

“We’ve seen an increase in the ACT average from a 29 in 2015 to a 31 in 2025, and an increase in the high school GPA from a 3.81 to a 3.94,” Miller said. “While we can’t say for sure that this is the cause of the college GPA rising, I do think it’s worth noting.”

Trojniak said one reason could be that professors are giving out easier grades than before, but there is no clear pattern.

“You could argue a new professor wants to give out good grades to get good evaluations so they can get tenure,” Trojniak said. “It’s a little cynical, but it does happen at institutions. You could also argue that once you have tenure, you don’t really care anymore, so you just give everyone good grades.”

Improved technology can play a role in better GPAs, according to Trojniak.

“Technology has changed pretty significantly since I started college,” he said. “You have all this technology that makes it easier to do the nuts and bolts of studying and learning. You can quickly get summaries. Instead of sitting there making flashcards from cardstock, there’s an app that does it.”

Rogers said students should focus on more important things than GPA.

“While those things matter, they are not the ultimate measure,” Rogers said. “The deeper question is who these students are becoming and where they stand in relation to the Lord.”