Feb. 23, 2016
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- For the fourth consecutive year, Penn State student-athletes have broken the school record for the number of students with a 3.0 grade-point average or higher during the fall semester.
A record 516 Nittany Lion student-athletes earned at least a 3.0 GPA during the 2015 fall semester, to break the mark of 500 high achievers set in 2014. The number of student-athletes posting at least a 3.0 GPA during the fall semester has increased 10.5 percent the past three years from the total of 463 in 2012 (see below).
Among the 516 student-athletes earning at least a 3.0 GPA, 234 garnered Dean’s List honors during the 2015 fall semester by posting a GPA of 3.50 or higher, the second-highest total in school history. The record is 241 during the 2014 fall semester. A minimum 12 credits are required for Dean’s List recognition.
The 516 student-athletes earning at least a 3.0 GPA represent 63 percent of Penn State’s 822 student-athletes enrolled during the fall semester. The efforts of the student-athletes resulted in a record-tying 23 teams earning a semester GPA of 3.0 or higher (tied with 2014 fall semester).
The combined average GPA was 3.11 among Penn State’s 31 varsity sports last fall, an increase from the 3.08 average GPA during the 2014 fall semester.
“This excellent academic performance is a tribute to the effort our talented student-athletes direct towards their academic pursuits, the priority placed on academic achievement by our coaches, and the support they receive from our dedicated Morgan Academic Center staff, faculty and administration,” said Sandy Barbour, Director of Athletics. “Developing well-rounded and well-educated citizens of the world is our top priority, and these results make our alumni and donors who have invested mightily in that premise very proud.”
Penn State Student-Athletes With Minimum 3.0 GPA; Fall semester, 2012-15
- Fall 2015 — 516 (record)
- Fall 2014 — 500
- Fall 2013 — 468
- Fall 2012 — 463
Penn State Student-Athletes earning Dean’s List honors;
Fall semester, 2012-15 (3.5 GPA; minimum 12 credits)
- Fall 2015 — 234
- Fall 2014 — 241 (record)
- Fall 2013 — 197
- Fall 2012 — 211
Penn State student-athletes, who have captured a conference-best 22 Big Ten Championships and six NCAA titles since September 2012, consistently have been among the nation’s most successful in earning their degrees. Among some of the recent academic accomplishments are:
- Eighty Penn State student-athletes earned Fall Academic All-Big Ten honors, an increase from 72 in fall, 2014. During the 2014-15 academic year, Penn State had 277 academic all-conference honorees, its third-highest total all-time, and has had more than 5,100 Academic All-Big Ten honorees all-time.
- Last October, the NCAA’s annual study of institutions nationwide revealed Penn State student-athletes at the University Park campus earned a Graduation Success Rate (GSR) of 88 percent compared to the 83 percent average for all Division I institutions for students entering from 2005-06 through 2008-09.
- Thirty Penn State student-athletes from 10 sports earned their degrees in December, bringing the total number of graduates to 176 since December 2014.
- Penn State’s 191 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans all-time rank No. 4 among all Division I institutions. Haleigh Washington (women’s volleyball) and Tyler Yazujian (football) were Academic All-America honorees last fall.
Click here to view original release.