UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State student-athletes turned in another record-breaking semester by registering a 3.22 term grade-point average (GPA) in the 2022 fall semester. The Nittany Lions set fall and overall records (non-alternative grading) with 584 students (70%) with a 3.0 semester GPA and 302 Dean's List honorees (3.5 semester GPA). In addition, a record-breaking 74 students tallied a 4.0 semester with 16 carrying a 4.0 cumulative GPA.
"I am so proud of our 840 student-athletes combined for a 3.22 semester GPA. It is a testament to the hard work our students put in on a daily basis in the classroom, while also competing for and winning championships," said Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Dr. Patrick Kraft. "Our Morgan Academic Center staff has done a terrific job providing our students with the resources needed to be successful in the classroom. Our students continue to make us all Penn State Proud!"
2022 Fall Semester Notable Numbers:
3.22 semester grade-point average
3.29 cumulative GPA
584 student-athletes with 3.0 semester GPA (fall and overall record; sixth-straight fall semester with 500+ student-athletes with a 3.0 term GPA)
74 student-athletes with a 4.0 semester GPA (fall and overall record)
302 student-athletes on Dean's List (3.5 GPA) (fall and overall record)
27 teams (of 31 total) with a 3.0 GPA or higher
Women's Lacrosse Posts Highest Team GPA
The women's lacrosse 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 gymnastics (3.66), women's swimming & diving (3.66), women's soccer (3.64) and softball (3.51). Men's hockey had the highest GPA among the men's programs with a 3.44.
Student-Athletes with 3.0 GPA or Higher; Fall Semester, 2018-22
Fall 2022 – 584 (fall and overall record)
Fall 2021 – 567
Fall 2020 – 742*
Fall 2019 – 535
Fall 2018 – 518
* - alternative grading used due to COVID-19 pandemic
Student-Athletes Earning Dean's List Honors; Fall Semester, 2018-22
(3.5 GPA or higher; minimum 12 credits)
Fall 2022 – 302 (fall and overall record)
Fall 2021 – 289
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 leadership of Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Patrick Kraft, 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-tying 92 percent in the 2022 report, marking the sixth-straight record or record-tying performance in the classroom. Ten teams earned a 100 percent graduation rate in the most recent report. The Nittany Lions rank No. 4 among all Division I schools with 223 College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-Americans all-time, including nine honorees in the 2021-22 academic year.
Penn State student-athletes have led the athletic department to 50 Big Ten championships and 10 NCAA National Championships since October 2013. Penn State is one of only five schools that have won at least 10 NCAA Championships since 2013 and earned at least a 90 percent Graduation Success Rate (GSR) in the 2022 NCAA report (Stanford, Florida, USC, Virginia).
