Gradescope
Last verified: September 2026PaidAI-powered grading platform used by universities worldwide for exams, problem sets, and code
What is Gradescope?
Gradescope is the leading AI-powered grading platform for higher education, used by instructors and teaching assistants at thousands of universities worldwide for exams, problem sets, code assignments, and written work. Originally founded by UC Berkeley PhD students and now part of Turnitin, Gradescope's core value is dramatically reducing the time instructors spend grading by using AI to batch together similar student answers, so instead of grading 300 essentially-identical math solutions one by one, you grade the underlying answer once and the platform applies that grade to all matching submissions. This is especially powerful for STEM courses with problem sets where students often arrive at identical or near-identical answers. Gradescope also supports code autograders, bubble sheet assignments, handwritten work (via photo upload), and dynamic rubrics that let graders adjust point values across a whole class at once. Pricing changed since our last review: the per-student instructor tiers are gone. Gradescope now publishes two plans only. Gradescope Basic is free and covers dynamic rubrics, question by question grading, assignment statistics, regrade requests, data export, and the student mobile app. Gradescope Institutional is custom quoted through Turnitin sales and is where AI-powered grading, collaborative grading, programming, online and bubble sheet assignments, code similarity, LMS integration, and SSO now live. Institutions can trial the full feature set for one term, then drop back to Basic for free. For instructors grading 100+ student classes on an institutional license, Gradescope saves hundreds of hours per semester. Without that license, the free Basic plan is a manual grading workflow rather than an AI one.
Gradescope demo video
Watch Gradescope's official demo to see Gradescope in action before reading our full review.
Official video by Gradescope via YouTube, embedded for reference. ToolChase does not host or claim this video.
⚡ Quick Verdict
University instructors and TAs grading large classes, especially STEM courses with math or code
K-12 teachers, Gradescope is built for higher ed, though some high schools use it
Gradescope Basic free · Gradescope Institutional custom quote · no published rate card
Yes, Gradescope Basic is free with no time limit · Institutional Trial runs one term
AI-powered batching of similar student answers makes grading large classes drastically faster
Per-student pricing can get expensive for large classes or institutional rollouts
Bottom line: Gradescope scores 4.3/5, AI-powered batching of similar student answers makes grading large classes drastically faster.
Pricing
Plan lineup changed. The per-student instructor tiers we listed in May 2026 (Basic $1, Solo and Team $3, Multi-instructor $5) are no longer offered. Gradescope's official pricing page now lists two plans.
Gradescope Basic, free: Dynamic rubrics, question by question grading, basic assignment types (student-uploaded and instructor-uploaded PDF), assignment statistics, regrade requests, data export, and the student mobile app.
Gradescope Institutional, custom quote: Everything in Basic plus AI-powered grading, AI-powered roster matching, collaborative grading with multiple staff members, anonymous grading, section management, programming, online and bubble sheet assignment types, advanced rubric and annotation tools, code similarity, lockable rubrics, LMS integration, SSO, an administrator dashboard, and dedicated onboarding. Gradescope publishes no figure for this plan; you fill in the contact form for a quote.
Institutional Trial: Institutions can try the full feature set for one term, then continue on Basic for free. LMS integration, SSO, the administrator dashboard, and dedicated onboarding are excluded from the trial.
Key Features
- AI-powered answer batching for grading identical responses at once (Institutional plan)
- Code autograder for programming assignments (Institutional plan)
- Dynamic rubrics with class-wide point adjustments (included in free Basic)
- Handwritten work grading via student-uploaded PDF (included in free Basic)
- Bubble sheet assignments for scantron-style tests (Institutional plan)
- Online submission assignment type (Institutional plan)
- Collaborative grading for teaching assistant teams (Institutional plan)
- Code similarity and lockable rubrics (Institutional plan)
- LMS integration (Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle, Schoology) and SSO (Institutional plan, excluded from the trial)
Pros & Cons
Pros
- AI batching saves dramatic time on large STEM classes
- Used by thousands of universities with proven reliability
- Code autograder supports standard programming languages
- Dynamic rubrics let you adjust grading across entire class
- Strong LMS integration with major platforms
Cons
- Every AI feature now sits behind a quote-only Institutional plan with no published price
- Built for higher ed, less useful for K-12
- AI batching works best on objective answers, less on essays
FAQ
How much does Gradescope cost?
Gradescope no longer sells per-student instructor plans. As of August 2026 the official pricing page lists exactly two options: Gradescope Basic, which is free, and Gradescope Institutional, which is custom quoted through the Turnitin sales team. Institutions can try the full feature set through an Institutional Trial for one term, and can keep using Basic for free once that trial ends. Gradescope does not publish an Institutional rate card, so a quote requires contacting sales.
How does Gradescope's AI grading work?
Gradescope uses AI to identify groups of students who submitted essentially identical or very similar answers to a problem. The instructor grades the underlying answer once, and that grade and feedback are applied to all matching submissions automatically. For a 300-student math exam where most students get the same answer, this can reduce grading time from 10 hours to 30 minutes. It works best on problems with definite correct or near-correct answers, less on open-ended essays.
Can Gradescope grade essays?
Gradescope can be used for essay grading with rubrics, but the AI batching feature is less effective on open-ended written work where every student answer is different. For essays, Gradescope mostly provides workflow benefits (online submission, organized rubrics, comment banking) rather than dramatic AI time savings. For AI-assisted essay grading, look at dedicated tools like Eduaide.ai's feedback bot.
Does Gradescope work for code assignments?
Yes, but the Programming assignment type sits on the Institutional plan, not on free Basic. The code autograder runs student code against test cases and generates grades automatically. It supports common programming languages including Python, Java, C++, and others. Instructors upload test cases and expected outputs, and the autograder handles the rest. This is especially popular in university CS courses with large enrollments.
Is Gradescope used in K-12 schools?
Primarily no, Gradescope is built for higher education and most of its customers are colleges and universities. Some high schools with large AP course enrollments use Gradescope for exam grading. For K-12 grading, tools like MagicSchool and Brisk Teaching are generally more appropriate.
Does Gradescope integrate with Canvas or Blackboard?
Yes, Gradescope integrates with Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle, Schoology, and other major LMS platforms. The integration supports roster sync and grade export back to the LMS gradebook, so final grades flow automatically. This is essential for university workflows where the LMS is the system of record.
Who owns Gradescope?
Gradescope is owned by Turnitin, the plagiarism detection company, which acquired it in 2018. Both products are now part of the Turnitin education technology suite. Gradescope continues to operate independently but benefits from Turnitin's enterprise sales and support for institutional customers.
📋 Good to know
Sign up at gradescope.com or through your institutional account. Upload assignments, set rubrics, and start grading.
FERPA compliant. Student data protected under institutional data processing agreements.
An Institutional license is the only route to AI grading, code autograding, bubble sheets, LMS integration, and SSO. Free Basic covers manual rubric grading only.
Moderate. Instructors need 1-2 hours to learn the rubric and AI batching workflow.
