Kerry’s Grades Similar to Bush’s, Transcript Shows
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
BOSTON – Senator Kerry’s academic performance at Yale University was virtually identical to President Bush’s academic record, despite repeated portrayals of Mr. Kerry as being more intellectual than his Republican rival, the Boston Globe reported yesterday.
The Globe, which obtained Mr. Kerry’s transcript from his U.S. Navy officer training school application after Mr. Kerry gave permission for its release, said Mr. Kerry had a cumulative grade average of 76 for his four years at Yale and received four Ds his freshman year.
In 1999, the New Yorker published a transcript showing Mr. Bush had a cumulative grade average of 77 his first three years at Yale, and a similar average under a non-numerical rating system his senior year.
Mr. Kerry, a Democrat of Massachusetts, had previously declined to release the transcript, which was included in his Navy records. He had refused to waive privacy restrictions for the full file during the presidential campaign, but gave the Navy permission to release the documents last month, the newspaper reported.
His freshman year, Mr. Kerry had an average of 71. He earned a 61 in geology, a 63 and a 68 in two history courses, and a 69 in political science. His top scores of 79 and 77 were in political science and French, respectively. At the time, Yale considered grades between 70 and 79 a C, and 60 and 69 a D.
“I always told my Dad that D stood for distinction,” Mr. Kerry said in a written response to reporters’ questions. He said he has previously acknowledged focusing more on learning to fly than studying. In his Navy application, Mr. Kerry said he had spent much of his college career in extracurricular activities, including the Yale Political Union, the Debating Association, and the Skull and Bones Society.
His grades improved later, however, as he averaged an 81 his senior year and earned an 89 – his highest grade – in a political science class as a senior. He was also chosen to deliver the senior class oration, in which he questioned the wisdom of the Vietnam War.
According to the New Yorker article, Mr. Bush’s highest grade at Yale was an 88 in anthropology, history, and philosophy. He received one D in his four years, a 69 in astronomy, and like Mr. Kerry, improved his grades after his freshman year.
