Colleges with the most rigorous courseload.

tk21769
Sat, 30 Jan 2010 12:19:41 +0000

Years ago, the LA Times published a table reportedly used by Berkeley’s law school to adjust for grade inflation at undergraduate institutions
(http://web.archive.org/web/20000829094953/http://www.pcmagic.net/abe/gradeadj.htm)
Schools with relatively high multipliers:
Swarthmore: 89.5
Williams : 89
Duke: 88.5
Carleton: 88
Colgate: 88
Johns Hopkins: 87.5
University of Chicago: 87
Wesleyan: 87
Darthmouth: 87
Cornell: 86.5
Harvard: 86.5
Middlebury: 86
Princeton: 86
MIT: 85.5
Pomona: 85
Haverford: 85
Virginia: 85

Can anyone cite a more recent source?

This table addresses grade inflation. Work loads (reading assignments etc.) may be somewhat independent of grade inflation (and I don’t know how to compare schools for that, other than by anecdotal reports). Some schools have thesis requirements, many don’t. Reed has not only a thesis requirement but also comprehensive oral examinations.

Course and proficiency requirements are another related issue. Chicago and Columbia have heave “core” requirements. “Open curriculum” schools (such as Brown and Amherst) have few or no required courses (which is not to deny that many students there assemble rigorous programs).