March 24, 2015
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State student-athletes shattered school records during the 2014 fall semester, including a record 500 earning a grade-point average of 3.0 or higher.
Among the 500 Nittany Lion student-athletes earning at least a 3.0 GPA, a school record 241 garnered Dean's List honors during the 2014 fall semester by posting a GPA of 3.50 or higher. A minimum 12 credits are required for Dean's List recognition.
The 500 high achievers topped the previous Penn State record of 468 student-athletes with a 3.0 GPA during the 2013 fall semester. The 500 student-athletes earning at least a 3.0 GPA represent 62 percent of Penn State's 810 student-athletes enrolled during the fall semester.
The 241 Dean's List honorees crushed the previous record of 211 from the 2012 fall semester. Thirty percent of Penn State's student-athletes achieved posted a 3.5 GPA or higher last semester.
The efforts of the student-athletes resulted in a record 23 teams earning a semester GPA of 3.0 or higher. The previous high was 22 squads with a 3.0 during the 2013 spring semester. The combined average GPA was 3.08 among Penn State's 31 varsity sports during the fall semester.
"This stellar academic performance is a tribute to the effort our talented student-athletes directed towards their academic pursuits, the priority placed on academic achievement by our coaches, and the support they receive from our dedicated Morgan Center staff, faculty and administration," said Sandy Barbour, Director of Athletics. "At Penn State, 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, so very proud. These are the kinds of results that make me proud to be at Penn State each and every day."
The academic performance during the most recent semester continues the increase in the number of Penn State student-athletes earning a 3.0 GPA during the fall semester:
| Student-Athletes With 3.0 GPA | S-A on Dean's List (3.5 GPA; minimum 12 credits) |
| Fall 2014 - 500 | 241 |
| Fall 2013 - 468 | 197 |
| Fall 2012 - 463 | 211 |
Penn State student-athletes, who have captured a 17 Big Ten Championships and five 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:
- Seventy-two Penn State student-athletes earned Fall Academic All-Big Ten honors. During the 2013-14 academic year, Penn State had 285 academic all-conference honorees, its second-highest total all-time;
- Last October, the NCAA's annual study of institutions across the nation revealed Penn State student-athletes at the University Park campus earned a Graduation Success Rate (GSR) of 89 percent compared to the 82 percent average for all Division I institutions. The 89 percent figure was second-highest, to Northwestern, among Big Ten Conference institutions.
- Penn State's 186 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans all-time ranks No. 3 among Division I institutions.