Many students’ main worry in college is their grades. After all, we’re all here to get a degree, right?

Taking classes, earning a degree and growing academically are the primary reasons people attend college in the first place. While most probably find that they learn important lessons beyond the classroom, the main focus of college seems to be furthering one’s education.

A survey conducted by Anthology in 2024 reports that 51% of surveyed students said they pursued higher education for an increased earning potential, 45% want to access better job benefits, 40% stated they need a degree for their field of study and 39% said they want to explore potential career opportunities.

This focus on college academics places pressure on students’ academic performance, which is mainly measured by grades. Regardless of whether students plan to apply to postgraduate programs or find a job right out of college, grades matter.

I was introduced to contract grading in one of my classes this semester, which essentially shifts the traditional grading system from “teacher-developed criteria into an agreement between teacher and student,” according to an article by WAC Clearinghouse.

The process allows students to choose the grade they want in the class at the end of the semester and sign a contract with the teacher, solidifying the agreement. Essentially, students have the freedom to choose the amount of work they want to complete in the class in accordance with the requirements of each letter grade.

For example, if students want to earn an A grade in my class, which practices contract grading, they must complete nine out of 10 labs satisfactorily — including a final project — actively participate in class sessions, miss no more than three classes excluding health issues and meet a couple of other requirements.

Although I wasn’t initially sure how I would like this grading system, I quickly came to appreciate how it has shaped my learning experience. Conversations with several classmates have revealed that they feel the same.

With contract grading, the teacher either gives a satisfactory or unsatisfactory, pass or fail, so there are no specific grade percentage points. However, students can resubmit an assignment if they receive an unsatisfactory grade.

This grading scheme has given me the freedom to take more liberties with my work. Since there is no specific grade percentage and only letter grades are used, I’m not as concerned about how each assignment will impact my overall grade percentage. Instead, I dive into each assignment with the intention of challenging myself academically and creatively.

While some may think that this might lead to students putting less effort into their assignments, I’ve found that the opposite is true. Our class is truly one of the most devoted, thoughtful and hardworking groups of students that I’ve had the pleasure of interacting with in the classroom.

Additionally, contract grading fosters a different — arguably improved — teacher-student relationship. Instead of feeling like my professor maintains a parental-like role, trying to coax students into completing assignments and participating in discussions, the relationship feels much more mature, level and professional.

While I understand that each major and class differs in terms of grading requirements, I think more professors should at least consider implementing contract grading in their classes. The contemporary system alleviates pressure on individual grades while still holding students accountable through signed agreements, ultimately leading to a high-performing and thriving educational environment.

Kat Pugh is a junior English major from Clayton, California. Kat can be reached at [email protected].