‘The college grading system [is] almost meaningless’: People see the Ivy League as an easy A and with flawed admissions standards

Higher education is mired in a PR crisis. Since the start of his second term, President Donald Trump has targeted the nation’s most elite institutions, including the Ivy League. The cracks first appeared during campus protests over the war in Gaza, throwing the leadership lapses and internal tensions of colleges and universities into clear view.

Last year, Yale University President Maurie McInnis asked a group of faculty to find out why the university has grown so unpopular in the public eye. Their 20 recommendations match what many critics have echoed for years, suggesting everything from tamping down on grade inflation to addressing opaque admissions standards.

“Our committee’s work brought us face-to-face with some of higher education’s greatest challenges and blind spots,” the report reads.

A recent Gallup poll found public trust in higher education fell to just 36% in 2023 and 2024, a low among a series of controversies facing the institutions. While that number was back up to 42% in 2025, it remains near historical lows. But the pressure extends beyond reputational issues. People today are questioning the value proposition of a four-year degree as AI threatens to automate many white-collar roles across industries spanning ...