We study a unique grading policy at a large US public university allowing students to mask their letter grades into a … "Pass", after having observed their original grade. Using administrative transcript records, we find that female students … are substantially less likely to mask their grades than male students, even after accounting for differences in grades …

We analyze data from two universities that allowed students to conceal grades from their transcripts during the Covid … with real employers and a survey of impacted students. Our findings highlight how information-optional policies can create …