After achieving a 4.0 GPA for the Fall 2024 semester, Emory University notified Stella Harris (28C) of her Dean’s List distinction via email. She said she appreciated the recognition for her academic achievement. However, when Harris achieved the same feat in her second semester, she did not receive an email.
“I emailed my academic advisor … because summer was over and I still hadn’t gotten an email,” Harris said. “So I basically just emailed my academic advisor and was like, ‘Could you look into this for me? Do you know why I haven’t gotten an email about it yet?’ And she was basically just saying how it’s not happening at Emory anymore.”
Harris is one of many students whose academic achievements for this past semester in the Emory University College of Arts and Sciences (ECAS) will not be recognized by a Dean’s List distinction. Emory has not released a Dean’s List since the Fall 2024 semester, according to Associate Director of University Communications Rachel Smith.
However, Smith did note that beginning with the Spring 2025 semester, students can receive “Honors in Course recognition,” which will see ECAS award students for achievement based on cumulative GPA.”
Furthermore, Emory ended its participation in the first-year honor society Phi Eta Sigma. An email sent to Phi Eta Sigma members said the University made the decision considering factors like “academic exploration, student well-being, and responsible stewardship of institutional resources.” However, Emory will still recognize students who have already been inducted to the Phi Eta Sigma at commencement through 2028, according to the email from the honors society.
“The emphasis on first-semester GPA alone does not fully align with Emory’s evolving approach to recognizing student excellence,” the email reads.
Outside of Emory, colleges nationwide have done away with the Dean’s List. Brown University (R.I.) has not had a Dean’s List since 1970, and Hamilton College (N.Y.), Cornell University (N.Y.) and the University of Pennsylvania abolished their Dean’s Lists in recent years.
Hamilton decided to cancel their dean’s list following rising grade inflation. While Emory has declined to comment on why they did not release a Dean’s List last semester, Emory has also seen a substantial rise in GPA. The average GPAs of ECAS graduates rose from 3.48 to 3.68 over the past five years. In 2025, over 72% of the graduating class had a GPA of over 3.5.
Despite grade inflation, students are concerned that above-average performance in more difficult programs will go unrecognized without the Dean’s List.
Rachel Zwaig (28B), a finance major, said the grading curve in the Goizueta Business School makes business classes “more competitive.” Zwaig argued that earning a 4.0, or a high GPA altogether, in the business school is a unique achievement that is difficult to obtain. Unlike ECAS, the Business School does still have it’s own Dean’s List and has not announced any plans to make a change.
Zwaig added that the Dean’s List helps future employers contextualize applicants’ performance.
“Having it, it does give students something to, not look forward to, but to know that if they’ve done well and they’ve earned it they can achieve something that has a little merit to put on your resume,” Zwaig said.
Will Needlman (28B) said Phi Eta Sigma members should have been given a say in the decision, because inductees into the honor society must pay dues for their membership.
Needlman echoed Zwaig’s mindset, sharing that making the Dean’s List in his first semester felt like an “accomplishment” for his effort in the business school, considering the curve.
“Even if everyone’s a great student, not everyone can get an A, and I’ve seen the grade distribution in some of my other classes, so it was nice to see that, even though everyone here is really smart and competitive, I can still hold my own,” Needlman said.
Harris said that despite her disappointment in not receiving a spot on the Dean’s List for the past semester, the Dean’s List can create a “toxic environment” by summarizing the academic semester through one’s grade. However, Harris said the competition can push students to perform better in the classroom.
“It’s just creating an unnecessary hostile environment for students to try to compete with each other, but at the same time, I think it does set a standard to want to work harder for something,” Harris said. “At least when I first got it, it made me want to just work harder in the future.”
The Dean’s List and Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society have been a way for the University to recognize students for their academic achievements. While new developments are under way, such as the “Honors in Course recognition,” Harris said that ECAS’ Dean’s List was a way for high-performing students to be noticed for their hard work.
“[The Dean’s List] is a nice way to recognize people, and just a nice standard for if you do work hard, this is something you could be recognized for,” Harris said.
Amelia Bush (28C) is double-majoring in English and PPL (philosophy, politics and law). She is from Minneapolis, Minnesota, and enjoys walking around its many lakes. Outside of the Wheel, you can find her reading, scrapbooking, or attempting a New York Times crossword.
Jacob Muscolino (he/him) (28C) is a News Editor at The Emory Wheel. He is from Long Island and plans to major in History and Psychology. Outside of the Wheel, he is involved in Emory Reads and Emory Economics Review. You can often find Jacob watching the newest blockbuster for his Letterboxd, dissecting The New York Times and traveling to the next destination on his bucket list.
