Not all universities! Simon Fraser University uses a 4.33 point scale (A = 4.00, A+ = 4.33) and its average GPA in 2017 (2.83) is only slightly above the average GPA in 1992 (2.80). Over that 25 year period, the university-wide average grade awarded has varied between a low of 2.77 and a high of 2.85.
Students complain. They complain a lot. We know that we're losing pre-med students to UBC -- which awards much higher grades on average -- because when we ask them why they decided to not accept SFU's admission offer, they reply "I'm planning on becoming a doctor and UBC will give me the higher grades I need". This also happens to a lesser extent with pre-law students. Over the past few years we've started displaying course average grades on transcripts and sending letters to graduate schools saying "so, there's something you should know about SFU's grades...".
I don't know how long SFU will be able to hold the line against grade inflation, but we're trying. It's not fair to students who worked hard to get a GPA of 3.7 (currently around 2% of students manage this) if next year's students can get that just by showing up.
In the mean time, if you see a student with a 4.00 GPA from Simon Fraser University... believe it.
EDIT: Out of curiosity, I pulled some statistics from the class graduating from SFU at the end of the 2017/18 year:
First Class Honours with Distinction (Honours program, 4.00+ GPA) 6
Honours with Distinction (Honours program, 3.50+ GPA) 61
Honours 61
First Class with Distinction (Major program, 4.00+ GPA) 24
With Distinction (Major program, 3.50+ GPA) 265
Bachelors 1769
Across the university, 1.37% of students graduate with a 4.00+ GPA and 16.29% graduate with a 3.50+ GPA.
Yikes, that is really depressing that admissions committees aren't able to distinguish between what is effectively the "DOGEcoin is more valuable than x because everyone gets billions of coins!"
Ultimately I think everyone should be judged on merit, like an audition, or based on a portfolio. But many businesses with deep pockets still award these types of positions based on nepotism and personal connections
I think part of the problem that SFU undergraduate students have with graduate admissions is that most of the students in question will be applying to medical or law programs at UBC. It's one thing for admissions committees to recognize that some universities have inflated grades; it's quite another for them to recognize that an "A" from their own institution is worth less than an "A" from another.
Students complain. They complain a lot. We know that we're losing pre-med students to UBC -- which awards much higher grades on average -- because when we ask them why they decided to not accept SFU's admission offer, they reply "I'm planning on becoming a doctor and UBC will give me the higher grades I need". This also happens to a lesser extent with pre-law students. Over the past few years we've started displaying course average grades on transcripts and sending letters to graduate schools saying "so, there's something you should know about SFU's grades...".
I don't know how long SFU will be able to hold the line against grade inflation, but we're trying. It's not fair to students who worked hard to get a GPA of 3.7 (currently around 2% of students manage this) if next year's students can get that just by showing up.
In the mean time, if you see a student with a 4.00 GPA from Simon Fraser University... believe it.
EDIT: Out of curiosity, I pulled some statistics from the class graduating from SFU at the end of the 2017/18 year:
Across the university, 1.37% of students graduate with a 4.00+ GPA and 16.29% graduate with a 3.50+ GPA.