Graduate Grade Inflation Analysis at a U.S. Research University

One U.S. research university's data on graduate grade inflation, covering two decades across 75 master’s programs (24,815 students) and 78 doctoral programs (15,701 students). The dataset contains results from linear and ordinal multilevel models used to examine grade trends by degree level and individual academic program.

Use Cases

• Analyze grade inflation trends across 75 master’s and 78 doctoral programs using multilevel model results.
• Compare the magnitude of grade inflation between master’s and doctoral program categories.
• Examine variations in grade inflation signals at the individual academic program level from the modeling output.

Strengths

• Contains data on 40,516 total graduate students (24,815 master's + 15,701 doctoral).
• Covers two decades of admissions data from a research-intensive university.
• Analysis uses both linear and ordinal multilevel modeling techniques.

Limitations

• Small dataset at 13.5 KB, indicating limited raw data or only model outputs.
• Scope is limited to a single university, reducing generalizability.
• Unknown row and column structure for direct analytical use.

Provenance

Source

figshare, author Vivien Lee.

Collection Method

Analysis of university admissions and grade data over two decades.

Time Range

Two decades (specific years not provided).

Freshness

Last updated March 2026.

Geography

United States, specifically one research-intensive university.