The Case for Ungrading In Social Work Education: A Survey of Graduate Students at a Rural Hispanic Serving Institution

Background and Purpose

Despite social work’s commitment to anti-oppressive practice, ethical engagement, and relational learning, most instructors use traditional grading systems to evaluate students. Yet, traditional grading practices are not neutral; they reflect assumptions about motivation, authority, and learning that often oppose social work values and our current understanding of the neurobiology of learning (Blum, 2020; Palmer et al., 2025). Ungrading intentionally minimizes grades in order to recenter learning and reinforce that traditional grading practices are not the strongest form of assessment. Ungrading also aims to reduce bias, particularly towards minoritized students, and to favor collaboration over competition in the classroom (Blum, 2020; Clark & Talbert, 2023; Palmer et al., 2025). Few research studies have focused on the practice of ungrading in social work education (Palmer et al., 2025), particularly at the graduate level. This research sought to explore the perceptions of ungrading among Master of Social Work (MSW) students at a rural Hispanic Serving Institution. The research questions were: 1) How do students report differences in their learning experiences between traditional graded and ungraded classrooms? and 2) How does ungrading help or hinder students’ experience within their own learning environment?

Methods

This paper reports the findings from a survey of 112 MSW students’ perspectives of traditionally graded and ungraded classrooms. Students were surveyed using both closed- and open-ended questions. Data were collected and aggregated from six graduate courses across two semesters. Descriptive statistics and thematic analysis (see Kiger & Varpio, 2020) was used to explore the data.

Results

Across all six ungraded courses, students reported higher levels of learning and engagement in ungraded courses compared to their traditionally graded courses during the same semester. Most (61%) indicated that they learned more in their ungraded course than in others, while 39% reported learning about the same amount. Engagement with course materials followed a similar pattern where 31% of students reported completing more of the readings in their ungraded courses than in their others, 67% completed about the same amount and only 2% completed less. Students also reported greater investment in coursework: 36% indicated they put more effort into assignments in their ungraded courses, 37% reported putting more overall effort into ungraded courses, and only 1–2% reporting less effort across these measures. A large majority of students (80%) reported that the absence of grades contributed to their learning. Notably, a few students (8%) felt that the lack of grading detracted from their learning. Open-ended responses revealed that students positively experienced ungrading across five interrelated domains: learning, mental health, motivation, perceived quality of education, and interpersonal relationships.

Conclusions and Implications:

The findings suggest that ungrading has the potential to support graduate students’ learning, well-being, motivation, and collaboration, while also revealing areas of resistance rooted in traditional conceptions of assessment. Consistent with prior research on alternative assessment practices, students reported that ungrading shifted their focus from earning grades to generating knowledge and skill. As social work education grapples with questions of equity, student mental health, and meaningful learning, ungrading offers a promising—though complex—alternative.