Proof There's Grade 12 Marks Inflation

According to a study released by the University of Saskatchewan, high school students from the province of Alberta did better in first year at that university than their peers from British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario and Saskatchewan. The study followed 12,000 incoming students over three years and found that Alberta students’ grades dropped 6.4 percentage points while students from the four other provinces saw a decrease of 19.6 percentage points. Read why Maclean's think Alberta students are better.

The results of the study have led to the University of Saskatchewan adjusting their admission requirements for Alberta students. A few other universities are also looking at Alberta high school students more favourably, namely Carleton University, St. Francis Xavier, Wilfrid Laurier University and the University of British Columbia.

The study also confirms what many of us in admissions suspected or knew anecdotally – grade inflation is common and the best students come from Alberta high schools.

The best outcome from this study is that Alberta students may no longer be disadvantaged in university admissions and entrance scholarships across Canada not just at the five universities mentioned above.

However, I worry that the issue of grade inflation in the other provinces is tougher to tackle. If there is as much as a 20 percentage point decrease in marks, this suggest that students from British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario and Saskatchewan need a 90% high school average to have at least 70% or B average in first year!

More analysis of the data or further study is required. The study suggests that grade inflation is province-wide in the provinces tracked, but are there variations between cities or school boards? Also what about the individual applicants? How would you feel if universities lower your high school average by a few percentage points causing you to not be offered admission or a scholarship? Is this not a vicious cycle, universities adjust grades which lead to higher cut-off averages which causes more grade inflation?

Perhaps universities are already taking grade inflation into consideration and this may explain why the admission averages in most universities are quite high. Also, since the vast majority of admission decisions in Canada (unlike in the US or UK) are determined solely on high school grades, the students with the highest marks will be offered admission and with supporting data grades should be adjusted for disadvantaged groups.

In an ideal world, universities will make data-based admission decisions not just for Alberta students but for everyone.

New Admission Policy for the University of Saskatchewan

The University of Saskatchewan has changed its admission policy for out-of-province applicants from Alberta, British Columbia and the territories to "level the playing field" when it comes to their high school marks.

Grade 12 students in British Columbia, Alberta, the Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut all take standardized final exams. In B.C. and the Yukon, the provincial exams count for 40 per cent of a student’s final mark. In Alberta, they count for 50 per cent of the final mark.

The change, effective next fall, will make the University of Saskatchewan more attractive to western and northern grads whose marks are high enough to be considered for scholarships. It will also make the University of Saskatchewan an attractive option for weaker students or those who with lower grades.

"All the admissions requirements are the same, just the way that we calculate the average for them puts them on a level playing field with every other student across the board. So that’s kind of what we’ve done ... we’ll take the best mark that works to their advantage, just like we would any other province."

However, there is no mention precisely how the grades will be calculated. If you are from one of these provinces or territories and feel your application might be considered under this new policy, you should confirm how your average will be calculated. Only relax after you get a clear picture.

I believe other universities will follow but only after their data show that the University of Saskatchewan is getting a bigger piece of the pie.

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