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Are there official academic records or class evaluations that confirm Trump's performance at Wharton?
Executive summary
Official, detailed academic records (grades, GPA, class ranks or class evaluations) for Donald Trump’s undergraduate time at Wharton have not been publicly released by the University of Pennsylvania; publicly available university materials confirm only degree, major and graduation date [1] [2]. Archived commencement materials and reporting by Penn’s student paper and regional outlets show Trump’s name does not appear among listed honors or the Dean’s List for 1968, contradicting longstanding public claims that he graduated “first in his class” or with honors [1] [3] [4].
1. What the university will and will not release: the official baseline
Penn’s stated policy is to confirm only basic alumni facts—degree, major and graduation date—but not to release transcripts, GPAs or internal evaluations to the public; a university spokesperson has reiterated that policy in multiple reports [1] [2] [5]. That institutional rule means there is no single, school-issued public document from Penn that verifies Trump’s semester-by-semester performance or a formal class rank for the Class of 1968 [1] [2].
2. What archival records do show: commencement lists and Dean’s List omissions
Journalistic reporting and copies of the 1968 commencement program in the Penn Archives show lists of prize recipients and students graduating cum laude, magna cum laude and summa cum laude—and Trump’s name does not appear among those honors; likewise, the Dean’s List of 56 students (about the top 15%) does not include him, according to the Daily Pennsylvanian and subsequent coverage [1] [3] [4]. These archival items are not the same as a transcript or GPA printout, but they are contemporaneous university publications that contradict claims that he graduated at the top of his class [1] [6].
3. Classmates’ recollections and memoir-style accounts
Multiple classmates and former faculty quoted in reporting recall that Trump did not stand out academically and sometimes came to class unprepared; for example, Louis Calomaris and others told The Daily Pennsylvanian and later outlets that he “did not stand out academically” and that peers did not remember him for scholastic achievements [5] [7]. Some long-time faculty recollections quoted in compilations are sharply critical—these are subjective memories, valuable as contemporaneous color but not a substitute for formal records [8] [7].
4. Public claims versus the documentary record: a persistent mismatch
For decades, profiles and even national outlets repeated the line that Trump graduated “first in his class” at Wharton; later fact-checking and archival evidence led news outlets to correct that narrative after consulting commencement materials and university records [6] [4]. The archival commencement program and Dean’s List omission are the concrete documentary bases repeatedly cited by reporters as undermining the “first in class” or “with honors” claims [1] [3].
5. Leaks, partial transcripts and contested documents
Student newspapers and campus outlets have at times published partial transcript images or grade lists attributed to Trump’s years; these items generated headlines but are not equivalent to an official, complete release by Penn, and Penn’s public position has remained that formal academic records are private [9] [1]. Individual leak items should be treated cautiously: they may be incomplete, unauthenticated or legally sensitive, and mainstream outlets continue to rely on the university’s archival commencement materials for verification [9] [2].
6. Why this matters beyond biography: credibility and record-keeping
Discrepancies between public claims and what university records show have fueled debates about self-presentation, media sourcing and the responsibilities of institutions and journalists to correct the record. Penn’s archival documents are an important source because they are contemporaneous and institution-produced; at the same time, the university’s privacy policy prevents a definitive public release of grades or GPA that would put the matter to rest for those demanding full transcripts [2] [5].
7. Bottom line and reporting limits
Available sources do not include an official, publicly released transcript, GPA or class-rank document from the University of Pennsylvania that confirms Trump’s academic performance; instead, the strongest documented evidence consists of Penn’s archival commencement program and contemporaneous Dean’s List, which do not list him among honor recipients or the top 15% [1] [3] [4]. If you are seeking a definitive, school-certified transcript or class evaluations, current reporting shows the university does not publicly provide those records beyond degree/major/date confirmations [1] [2].