Yale Grades of Presidential Candidates Revealed

John F. Kerry and George W. Bush, presidential candidates, had relatively similar grade averages at Yale University four decades ago. Despite Bush's reputation for being a populist and Kerry being portrayed as intellectual, their cumulative scores were only a point apart. During the 2004 presidential campaign, Kerry's grades were not publicly available, but he has since given the Navy permission to release his documents to the Globe.

Key Takeaways:

• Both Bush and Kerry had a cumulative grade average of around 76 at Yale University, with Bush's being 77 and Kerry's being 76.
• Kerry's freshman-year average was 71, with a high score of 79 in a political science course and a low score of 61 in geology.
• Despite receiving four D's in his freshman year, Kerry improved his grades and averaged 81 in his senior year, with a high single grade of 89 in a political science class.
• Bush received one D in his four years, a 69 in astronomy, and his highest grades were 88s in anthropology, history, and philosophy.
• Kerry's weak grades came despite attending elite prep schools, and he went on to become a top student at Naval Candidate School, command a patrol boat in Vietnam, graduate from law school, and become a prosecutor, lieutenant governor, US senator, and presidential candidate.
• Kerry's extracurricular activities at Yale included the Yale Political Union, the Debating Association, soccer, hockey, fencing, and membership in the elite Skull and Bones Society.

Statistics:

• Kerry's cumulative score was 76, with a high score of 79 and a low score of 61.
• Bush's cumulative score was 77, with a high score of 88 and a low score of 69.
• Kerry's freshman-year average was 71, with a high score of 79 and low scores of 61, 63, and 68.
• Kerry received four D's in his freshman year out of 10 courses.
• Bush received one D in his four years, a 69 in astronomy.
• Kerry's highest single grade was 89, in a political science class in his senior year.
• Bush's highest grades were 88s in anthropology, history, and philosophy.

Sources:

• The New Yorker, "The Kerry Presidency," 1999
• The Boston Globe, "Kerry's Yale Grades Show Conservative Effort," June 7, 2004
• Navy records obtained by The Boston Globe