Data and Code for: Minimum Grade Requirements for Economics Majors: Effects on Enrollments and Student Learning

Many economics departments have adopted requirements that majors must achieve minimum grades, above the passing standard, in core classes in order to complete the major. This paper studies the adoption of such a policy at one college, looking at data on enrollments and grades in a ten year window, five years before and five years after the change of policy. The policy reduced the number of majors in the department by approximately 6%. This slowed the growth in majors in the department but did not eliminate it. The fraction of grades of C- and D (which required a student to retake the course or change majors) dropped substantially after the implementation of the policy, while the fraction of grades of C (the minimum acceptable grade) did not change and the fraction of grades in the C+ to B range rose. The policy most likely worked by increasing effort by students who were both below and somewhat above the minimum performance standard.