This paper exploits a unique natural experiment - Cornell University's 1996 decision to publish course median grades online - to examine the effect of grade information on course selection and grade inflation. We model students' course selection as dependent on their tastes, abilities, and...

Concerns over grade inflation and the profusion of high grades have led institutions of higher education in the United States to adopt various grading reforms. An element common to several prominent reforms is providing information on the distribution of grades in different courses. The main...