Manhattan Review InFocus Newsletter

Dear Future Business Leader,

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Grade Disclosure Dilemma – Wharton & Stanford
(Check out our blog for more advice!)

Frequently Asked Questions on Your GMAT Test Day

While the discussion may be less heated than in recent years, grade disclosure and the associated policies are relevant to MBA students. The debate consists of the following arguments for and against grade disclosure:

Grade non-disclosure policies (GND) enhance student collaboration and promote extra curricular activities which in turn promote networking opportunities
Grade disclosure policies (GD) promote rigorous academics. When grades “do not matter,” students may become “lackadaisical” and the atmosphere may become less competitive

In most circumstances, the supporters of GND are the student bodies, and the supporters of GD are the professors and administrators. The majority of America’s top B-schools seem to have either a GD or voluntary GD policy, where students may share grades with potential employers voluntarily. Now, let’s look at the four schools’ policies and the debate surrounding them:

University of Pennsylvania (Wharton)

Wharton, a member of the top three B-schools on many lists, seems to house the most heated and intense grade policy debate. Prior to 1998, the school had a GD, but the student body overwhelmingly supports a GND. The logic behind these opinions follows pretty closely the logic above. Amazingly, during a 2006 vote to amend the school’s policy, students voted in favor of GND by 94%, with 84% participation.

Wharton has adopted a voluntary disclosure policy, where students are free to share their grades, but are not required to.

Stanford

Stanford’s administration does not have a particular policy, but the student body policy is non-disclosure. There is an astonishing 99% compliance rate among students.

Both sides of the grade disclosure debate have sound arguments and valid points. It also seems that the only possible compromise is the one that some schools have already put into effect: a policy of voluntary disclosure. The students who feel that it is within their right to withhold grades from employers are free to do so. If the employer demands such information (which they may) the student will have a difficult choice to make, one that very closely reflects many decisions – operational, managerial, and ethical – made in the business world: How do I optimize the result with minimal compromise?

Kind regards,

Manhattan Review Team

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