The ChatGPT era prompts a boom in A-graded coursework

Some college classes are seeing a boom in students earning A's — many with the help of AI . Why it matters: Universities and colleges were already concerned about how many students are earning A's and B's, but now must worry that graduates are leaving AI-proficient rather than knowledgeable about their subjects of study. The big picture: It isn't a case where A- students get a slight bump to an A or A+, says Igor Chirikov, a UC Berkeley professor who authored a study on AI and grade inflation. "We have a C student who is now an A student," Chirikov tells Axios, citing data from grades given between 2018 and 2025 at a Texas research university. What they found: Since the release of ChatGPT in 2022, "excellent" grades rose by 30% in classes where AI is useful, such as English composition and coding. In classes where it's not — like sculpture and lab-based courses — grades remained flat. Worth noting: Chirikov didn't name the university used in the study, but says that it's a "selective"