<p>There seems to be a conflation of meanings of inflation in this discussion. One meaning is that the grades are higher than those students would have earned at another institution (synchronic). The second meaning is that grades within the same institution have risen over time (diachronic). The first denotes a static situation and a comparison, the second a process.</p>
<p>Harvard’s grades have not risen as fast as at some other institutions, but they have also been consistently somewhat higher (synchronic). Chicago may have had a higher rate of grade inflation (diachronic) but they remain lower than at Harvard. I did not see Cornell on the list provided on the site.</p>