Ross Leaves the Curve Behind: A New Era for BBA Grading
The “Ross Curve”—a long-standing source controversy at Stephen M. Ross School of Business—is officially on its way out. In an email sent to students on February 12, 2026, Associate Dean Cathy Shakespeare announced that the school will eliminate its rigid grading distributions starting in the Fall 2026 semester.
According to Associate Dean Shakespeare, the move marks an important shift in how Ross assesses its undergraduates, moving away from forced rankings and toward a model centered on “mastery” and “collective success”.
Out with the Old
Under the current guidelines, faculty are required to keep class averages at or below a 3.1 GPA. The GPA guidelines are particularly tight for core classes, where no more than 40% of students can receive an A- or above, and at least 10% must receive a B- or lower. This system effectively forced students to compete against their classmates for a limited number of high marks, regardless of how well the class performed as a whole.
The incoming policy replaces these strict “buckets” with higher target GPA averages that emphasize academic rigor without the forced ceiling:
Core Courses: Target average GPA of 3.40.
Elective Courses: Target average GPA of 3.55.
The administration clarified that these are targets, not forced curves or required distributions. This allows faculty to determine grade distributions for their courses.
Why Now?
The change comes after years of advocacy from the Ross Undergraduate Student Advisory Board (RUSAB) and the Ross Registrar’s Office. The administration cited student well-being and a desire to foster a culture of “mutual achievement” as the primary drivers.
