UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- One hundred thirty-nine Penn State student athletes are scheduled to graduate this weekend during the Penn State Commencement ceremonies. The 139 student-athletes intending to graduate adds to the 29 who graduated in the winter ceremonies, bringing the 2025-26 academic year total to 168 graduates.
Thirty Penn State teams boast names on the spring intent to graduate list. Men’s lacrosse leads the way with 13 graduates as the Nittany Lions continue into the post-season this weekend in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament with first draw from Panzer Stadium set for 2:30 p.m. Saturday.
Among the long list of Nittany Lions graduates this weekend is Olympic gold medalist and women’s ice hockey first-team All-American Tessa Janecke (Nutritional Sciences) who rewrote the program record books while leading the Penn State women’s ice hockey team to its first-ever NCAA Frozen Four. First-round NFL Draft pick Olaivavega Ioane will receive his degree in Telecommunications & Media Industries after being drafted 14th by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round of the NFL Draft just over two weeks ago. Three-time All-American Shayne Van Ness (Psychology) of the five-time defending national championship wrestling team is also slated to walk the stage this weekend.
Graduation Success Rates
Under the leadership of Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Dr. Patrick Kraft, Penn State has one of the nation's most comprehensive and successful athletic programs, featuring nearly 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.
Penn State student-athletes earned a record-tying 93% NCAA Graduation Success Rate (GSR) and 13 programs earned perfect 100% ratings in the 2025 report. It marked the ninth consecutive year the Nittany Lions have posted a record or record-tying performance in the classroom. Penn State is one of only eight schools that have won at least 10 NCAA Championships since the 2015-16 academic year and earned at least a 90 percent Graduation Success Rate (GSR) in the 2025 NCAA report (Florida, North Carolina, Stanford, Texas, UCLA, USC, Virginia).
Penn State student-athletes continue to achieve academic excellence, displaying high levels of success in the classroom according to Academic Progress Rate (APR) data released by the NCAA this week. Twenty-one Penn State teams earned perfect APR scores of 1,000 during the 2024-25 academic year, while 10 Penn State squads earned Public Recognition Award from the NCAA, which recognizes the top 10 percent APR teams in each sport.