UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – One hundred five Penn State student-athletes are scheduled to graduate during spring commencement May 7-9 in Beaver Stadium. The 105 student-athletes on the intent to graduate list adds to the 35 student-athletes from the fall graduation and brings Penn State total graduates to 140 for the 2020-21 academic year.
Twenty-six Penn State programs will be represented at spring graduation with the men's lacrosse program having 15 student-athletes on the intent to graduate list (men's and women's track & field/cross country programs combined).
One hundred six Penn State student-athletes recently earned Winter Academic All-Big Ten honors. The 106 honorees are the highest Penn State total since 91 student-athletes claimed honors in 2019.
The winter academic performance follows 114 Penn State student-athletes earning Fall Academic All-Big Ten honors. The two sets of honorees for the 2020-21 school year currently sits at 220 and brings Penn State's all-time total to 7,173.
Record-Breaking NCAA Graduation Success Rate
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.
Penn State Among the Nation's Most Comprehensive and Successful Athletic Programs
Under the leadership of Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Sandy Barbour, Penn State has one of the nation's most comprehensive and successful athletic programs, featuring 800 student-athletes across 31 varsity programs (16 men's, 15 women's). The Nittany Lions' 31 programs are tied for the fourth-highest number of sports sponsored by a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) institution.