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Journal of Studies in International Education
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Commonwealth Degrees from Class to Equivalence: Changing to Grade Point Averages in the Caribbean

Tony Bastick

University of the West Indies in Jamaica

British Commonwealth universities inherited the class system for classifying degrees. However, increasing global marketization has brought with it increasing demands for student exchanges, particularly with universities in North America. Hence, Commonwealth universities are considering adopting grade point averages (GPAs) for degree classification more closely corresponding with those used in U.S. universities. Linking to U.S. inflationary systems threatens to severely devalue Commonwealth degrees unless their own grade inflation is recognized and contained. This article describes the North American GPA systemand how market-driven teaching creates the grade inflation it is experiencing. This is compared with grade inflation in a Caribbean Commonwealth university in the process of changing to a common GPA system. The article notes the inability of the U.S. accreditation system to halt grade inflation and recommends that Commonwealth universities changing to GPA systems consider refocusing marketing pressures away from teaching and consider various European alternatives for protecting their degree standards.

Key Words: grade inflation • higher education • Caribbean • quality assurance • student exchange

Journal of Studies in International Education, Vol. 8, No. 1, 86-104 (2004)
DOI: 10.1177/1028315303254463
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