Before Grades: public Shame

Before the 19th century, universities like Yale and Harvard didn't have grades. Instead, students underwent a "public oral examination" where professors grilled them in Latin. You either performed well or you were humiliated. It was binary.

The First Grades: Cambridge, 1792

The concept of quantitative grading started at the University of Cambridge. A tutor named William Farish proposed it. Why? To process more students. Oral exams took too long. Grading written papers allowed the industrialization of education.

The Birth of the 4.0: Yale, 1813

Yale University experimented with a 4-point scale in 1813 to group students.
4 = Best
3 = Second
2 = Inferior
1 = Periditores (Bad)

The Modern Letter Grade: Mount Holyoke, 1897

The A-F system as we know it appeared at Mount Holyoke College.
A (95-100)
B (85-94)
C (76-84)
D (75)
E (Failed)

Wait, where is F? "E" was used for fail, but over time, professors worried students would think "E" stood for "Excellent," so they switched to "F" for failure. That is why there is no "E" in the modern GPA scale.

The Future of GPA

Today, there is a movement towards "Un-grading"—replacing numbers with qualitative feedback. But until that revolution wins, the 4.0 scale remains the global currency of intellect.