PSU posts fourth consecutive Graduation Success Rate of 90 percent or higher; Nine teams earn 100 percent Graduation Success Rate, 21 squads at or above overall Division I national average
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State student-athletes continue to register record-breaking graduation rates and perform well above their peers nationwide. The Nittany Lions recorded a fourth consecutive record academic performance with a 92 percent graduation success rate, according to data reported by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
The NCAA’s annual graduation rates report of Division I institutions across the nation revealed Penn State student-athletes at the University Park campus earned a Graduation Success Rate (GSR) of 92 percent to break the school’s all-time record of 91, which was previously set in the 2019 NCAA report. Nittany Lion students posted a 92 percent graduation rate compared to the 88 percent average for all Division I institutions for students entering from 2010-11 through the 2013-14 academic year.
Penn State student-athletes have logged a Graduation Success Rate in the 88-92 percent range during each of the past 14 NCAA reports, improving from 88 percent in the 2015 report to a record-breaking 92 percent report in 2020.
Sixteen of the Nittany Lions’ 27 teams (men’s and women’s track and field/cross country teams combined) earned a Graduation Success Rate at or above the Division I national GSR average for their respective sport. A total of 17 Penn State squads have a GSR of 90 percent or higher.
“Congratulations to our student-athletes, coaches, faculty, and support staff who have made this new record possible,” said Penn State President Eric Barron. “The commitment to excellence in the classroom and in competition has always been a hallmark of the Nittany Lions, and I’m thrilled our teams have garnered national attention again this year for a record graduation success rate. We Are proud of our student-athletes and look forward to their continued success.”
“I am so proud of our student-athletes and their continued commitment to comprehensive excellence. To have a record graduation rate for the fourth-straight year shows academics are a priority for all of our programs at Penn State,” said Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Sandy Barbour. “Our students, coaches and staff continue to prioritize academic achievement, while also excelling in competition and in the community. We continue to show the important role academic plays in tandem with athletics with nine programs recording a perfect report, including two teams who have done so for 16 consecutive years, and 17 squads with a 90 percent GSR or higher.”
Nine Teams Post 100 Percent GSR Scores; Field Hockey and Women’s Tennis Perfect for 16th Consecutive Year; Total of 17 Squads at 90 Percent or Higher
The NCAA data revealed student-athletes from nine Penn State squads earned a Graduation Success Rate of 100 percent, while an additional eight teams posted a graduation rate of 90 percent or higher, for a total of 17 teams at or above 90 percent.
The nine Nittany Lion squads posting 100 percent Graduation Success Rate scores were: field hockey, women’s golf, men’s gymnastics, women’s hockey, women’s soccer, women’s swimming & diving, men’s tennis, women’s tennis and wrestling.
The field hockey and women’s tennis teams earned a 100 percent GSR for the 16th consecutive year – every year since the NCAA implemented the release of Graduation Success Rate data in 2005. The women’s golf squad posted a 100 percent GSR for the fifth-straight year and the women’s hockey teams had a perfect GSR score for the fourth consecutive year that they’ve been eligible.
Wrestlers Earn 100 Percent Graduation Success Rate – 19 Points Above Division I Average
The wrestling squad, which has won eight of the past nine NCAA Championships, delivered its third-straight 100 percent GSR, which is 19 points higher than the Division I average.
Eight Nittany Lion squads improved their four-year GSR score from last year’s NCAA Graduation report, led by the men’s volleyball (+13), men’s golf (+9), men’s swimming & diving (+7), women’s cross country and track & field (+4), women’s swimming & diving (+4), women’s fencing (+2), baseball (+1) and women’s volleyball (+1) teams.
Sixteen Penn State Squads at or Above National GSR Sport Average
Among the 16 Nittany Lion teams at or above the Division I sport average, nine squads posted Graduation Success Rates that were at least five points higher than the national average for their sport:
Wrestling – 100 percent to 81 (+19)
Football – 85 to 79 (+6)
Men’s Tennis – 100 to 92 (+8)
Baseball – 92 to 85 (+7)
Men’s Gymnastics – 100 to 93 (+7)
Men’s Basketball – 90 to 84 (+6)
Women’s Soccer – 100 to 94 (+6)
Women’s Golf – 100 to 95 (+5)
Women’s Track & Cross Country – 96 to 91 (+5)
Field Hockey – 100 to 96 (+4)
Women’s Swimming & Diving – 100 to 96 (+4)
Women’s Tennis – 100 to 96 (+4)
Men’s Lacrosse – 94 to 91 (+3)
Men’s Soccer – 89 to 86 (+3)
Women’s Hockey – 100 to 98 (+2)
Men’s Hockey – 93 to 92 (+1)
In addition, 21 programs turned in a graduation success rate at or above the overall Division I national average of 88 percent.
Men’s Basketball and Football Programs Continue to Exceed National Averages
For the 11th consecutive year, the Penn State football (85 percent compared to 79 percent) and Nittany Lion basketball (90 to 84) teams all earned four-year Graduation Success Rates higher than the national average for their respective sports.
Federal Graduation Rate 10 Points Above Division I Average; No. 4 in Big Ten
In addition to releasing each institution’s overall four-year Graduation Success Rate, the NCAA also released the federal graduation rates for students and student-athletes. The four-year federal graduation rate average for University Park student-athletes was 78 percent, No. 5 among Big Ten institutions, which was significantly above the 68 percent Division I average.
The four-year average for University Park students was 85 percent, exceeding the 67 percent rate for all students nationwide by 19 points.
Single-Year Student-Athlete Federal Graduation Rate Nine Points Higher Than Division I Average
The entering class of 2013-14 Penn State students earned an 86 percent single-year federal graduation rate that was one point higher than the single-year rate for the 2012-13 entering class and 17 points higher than the Division I average.
Student-athletes entering Penn State in 2013-14 posted a single-year rate of 78 percent, which is nine points higher than the Division I average of 69 percent.
This is the 30th annual release of institutional graduation rates since national “right-to-know” legislation was passed in 1990. In 2005, the NCAA Division I Committee on Academic Performance implemented the initial release of the team GSR data.
The GSR is the NCAA’s more inclusive calculation of academic success among scholarship student-athletes. The NCAA rate is more accurate than the federally mandated methodology because it includes incoming transfers and students enrolling in the spring semester who receive athletic aid and graduate, and deletes from the calculation student-athletes who leave an institution and were academically eligible to compete. The federal rate does neither.
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