Do University Grades Matter?
Growing up in rural Kerala, academic grades were a constant nightmare that haunted my middle-class upbringing. If you were born before 2000s, it is most likely that the image of strict parents running behind kids with a progress report and a cane, would be etched in your heart, thanks to the society that had raised us. One cannot complain considering the fact that that academic excellence was the one sure shot chance to escape poverty and misery, for millions of Indians in the post-independence era. Some notions pass on through generations.
Exam scores have been single handedly used to grade students in the Indian education system for decades. The grading systems in schools have changed (thankfully) over the past few decades, with relative grading and more optional subjects on offer. I happen to be part of the last generation that experienced the ‘rank’ system in schools. For a good few years, my sister used to be introduced as a ‘second rank holder’ to my relatives. And I would simply shy away from the question ‘what’s your rank son?’. Bygone times!
Examinations can help an examiner select or eliminate candidates from a pool. For exams taken by a huge pack of candidates, it is simply hard to find practical, economical alternatives to eliminate candidates in their thousands. Take the classical examples of IIT-JEE or the UPSC prelims, that have an acceptance rate if just over 1% and a headcount of close to a million (in 2025). Yes, these exams can be stressful, unfair to an extent, and flawed in many ways, but how do you eliminate close to a million candidates? And then there are exams that help the examiner ‘select’ a few candidates based on their affinity and aptitude to a certain subject. University exams, on the other hand are structured to assess knowledge, skills, and competencies in a course. They also measure the achievement of specific learning outcomes for a module. And many a times, university exam grades form a ladder, upon which you climb to reveal what lies above.
I have had the good fortune to go to three universities in India, lying in three different levels of ranking and perception. The state government funded College, where I read Civil Engineering, had an entirely different campus life from the National Institutes, that I later enrolled in. For me personally, the campus environment had a direct correlation to my academic grades. Drawing inspiration from Chetan Bhagat, I would say that I was a 7 point someone in the B.Tech program, an 8 point someone in the M.Tech program, and an 8 pointer in the doctoral degree. A decade later, when I look back at the journey, I do ponder over the ripple effects of university grades. If I could go back in time, I might work a little harder, not for the perception of a better looking marksheet, but because i) it wasn’t hard at all to score higher and ii) some doors did not open because of my ‘average’ grades. It is important to view this holistically. Not every career stream requires high university grades. In fact, for an engineer, it is highly unlikely that academic grades surpass experience and capability at a senior level.
The academia is one example where grades could bear some weight. I would never claim that this is universal. The NITs/IITs provide a greater independence to faculty to design courses, selection criteria and evaluation methods, making a generalization impossible. I did encounter a situation at NIT Surat where grades in the first year were used as a criteria by some Professors (the much sought after one) who were selecting candidates for a Master’s thesis project. In another personal example, grades in certain subjects were used to determine my aptitude in certain research topics, during my PhD program interview. Some IITs follow a comprehensive exam system for PhD candidates, which is a stressful marathon exam ensuring that the candidate shows adequate subject knowledge before starting serious research. During my PhD at IIT Madras, the system in some departments morphed into discounting the comprehensive exam for candidates whose grades in year 1 of the PhD program were above a certain benchmark. For those interested in academic positions, the strenuous decade long (very likely) PhD and postdoc ordeal is followed by the exhausting hunt for a faculty position. This is yet another scenario where a ‘gold medallist’ or ‘award winner’ on your CV could make you stand apart. With the ever increasing competition for Assistant Professor jobs in the central institutes in India, a poor academic record could put you at a disadvantage at an elimination stage. I should not be mistaken for somebody chasing grades or medals, but here is an interesting take: you can publish a pathbreaking paper in the most reputed academic journal later on, but you cannot go back and get them medals! Yes, an excellent academic track record could be the icing on the cake, for an academician’s CV. But who remembers the Nobel laureates for their marksheets? In a broader sense, it would be worthwhile to investigate how grades could influence your chances of selection into the next adventure that you may have planned. In a competitive world, grades could open a few doors, but to walk through and strive, is up to the individual.
I remember this observation made by a professor during my undergrad years: ‘this course will, without you realising, result in your analytical skills increasing exponentially’. Nearly two decades down the line, I am surprised at how true this is. I can see how simple logical reasoning and analytical skills from a Civil Engineering degree can influence the way I think at work, as well as the way I arrange grocery into shopping bag (to ensure nothing is crushed, in case you’re wondering). There are skills that are infused into a student through the course of a degree program, but are hard to measure in a written exam. A low grade does not indicate a candidate’s potential. Every individual is wired in a different way, with varying aptitudes and potentials. Chasing grades should not be the goal of university education. Grades can reflect one’s management of time, reasoning skills, presentation and articulation skills, and subject knowledge. With that established, I can vouch for the fact that grades simply follow those who plan and manage time well. In other words, you don’t chase grades, they follow your tenacity. All a student needs to do, is to be serious and sincere, to the chosen stream of study.
