Why Are Grades Highest at the Most Prestigious Schools?

Published on August 27, 2011 by Ilan Shrira in The Narcissus in All of Us

Any explanation for grade inflation needs to account for why it's strong at prestigious schools but weak or absent at 2^nd-tier schools, and I have yet to hear one that's convincing. So to join the throng of theories, I'll add my own: Grades are higher at prestigious schools because instructors there use different standards than instructors at less prestigious schools.

This is what I mean: Instructors don't just assign grades based on how students in their class compare to one another, they also base their grades on how each student compares to other students at other universities. This second comparison causes grades to be awarded differently at prestigious vs. non-prestigious schools.

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