UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – In another record-breaking academic performance, Penn State student-athletes registered a 3.14 term grade-point average (GPA) in the 2021 fall semester. The Nittany Lions set fall and overall records (non-alternative grading) with 567 students (65%) with a 3.0 semester GPA and 289 Dean's List honorees (3.5 semester GPA). In addition, a record-breaking 69 students tallied a 4.0 semester with 14 carrying a 4.0 cumulative GPA.
2021 Fall Semester Notable Numbers:
3.14 semester grade-point average
3.30 cumulative GPA
567 student-athletes with 3.0 semester GPA (fall and overall record)
69 student-athletes with a 4.0 semester GPA (fall and overall record)
289 student-athletes on Dean's List (3.5 GPA) (fall and overall record)
28 teams (of 31 total) with a 3.3 GPA or higher
"Our students never cease to amaze me! They continue to challenge themselves every day, not only in competition, but in the classroom," said Sandy Barbour, Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics. "Like much of the world, they have endured significant challenges for the past two years and they have only turned those challenges into achievements. To set fall and overall records for 3.0 and Dean's List last semester is a testament to our students, as well as our terrific Morgan Academic Center staff, who work tirelessly to provide our students the best conditions for success. Every member of Nittany Nation should be so proud of how our students represent our university, athletics department, alumni and donors!"
More Than 500 Nittany Lion Students Earn at Least 3.0 GPA for Fifth-Straight Fall Semester
Five hundred sixty-seven Nittany Lion students posted a 3.0 GPA or higher during for the fifth-straight fall semester. In addition, Russ Mushinsky, Director of the Morgan Academic Center, reported 289 student-athletes earned Dean's List status by posting at least a 3.5 GPA (minimum 12 credits) during the fall semester.
Overall, Penn State student-athletes had a 3.14 grade-point average during the most recent semester.
Twenty-eight of Penn State's 31 squads posted a team GPA of 3.30 or higher. A total of 65 percent of 867 enrolled student-athletes during the fall earned a 3.0 GPA or higher. The student-athletes with a 3.0 GPA in the fall semester will be recognized at the men's basketball game against #17 Michigan State at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday night in the Bryce Jordan Center.
Women's Soccer Posts Highest Team GPA
The women's soccer team recorded the highest team GPA among Penn State's 31 programs during the fall with a 3.69 GPA, followed by the women's lacrosse (3.55), women's gymnastics (3.53), women's swimming & diving (3.51) and women's tennis (3.45). Men's tennis had the highest GPA among the men's programs with a 3.45.
Student-Athletes with 3.0 GPA or Higher; Fall Semester, 2017-21
Fall 2021 - 567 (fall and overall record)
Fall 2020 – 742*
Fall 2019 – 535
Fall 2018 – 518
Fall 2017 – 520
* - alternative grading used due to COVID-19 pandemic
Student-Athletes Earning Dean's List Honors; Fall Semester, 2017-21
(3.5 GPA or higher; minimum 12 credits)
Fall 2021 – 289 (fall and overall record)
Fall 2020 – 327*
Fall 2019 – 280
Fall 2018 – 239
Fall 2017 – 253
* - alternative grading used due to COVID-19 pandemic
Penn State Among the Nation's Premier Athletic Programs in Comprehensive Excellence
Under the Barbour's leadership, 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.
Nittany Lion students have posted an NCAA Graduation Success Rate (GSR) of program-record 92 percent in the most recent report. Ten teams earned a 100 percent graduation rate in the 2021 NCAA Graduation Rates Report. The Nittany Lions rank No. 4 among all Division I schools with 213 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans all-time.
Penn State student-athletes have led the athletic department to 47 Big Ten championships and nine NCAA National Championships since October 2013. Penn State is one of only five schools that have won at least 10 NCAA Championships since 2012 and earned at least a 90 percent Graduation Success Rate in the 2021 NCAA report (Stanford, Florida, USC, Virginia). The Nittany Lions rank fifth in the Learfield IMG College Director's Cup following the fall season.
Record-Breaking NCAA Graduation Success Rate
The 2021 NCAA graduation rate 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% to tie the school's all-time record of 92, which was previously set in the 2020 NCAA report. Nittany Lion students posted a 92% graduation rate compared to the 89% average for all Division I institutions for students entering from 2011-12 through the 2014-15 academic year.
Penn State student-athletes have logged a Graduation Success Rate in the 88-92% range during each of the past 15 NCAA reports, improving from 88% in the 2015 report to a record-breaking 92% report in 2020 and 2021. 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 18 Penn State squads have a GSR of 90% or higher.
