For the fourth consecutive year, Penn State student-athletes have broken the school record for the number of students with a 3.0 grade-point average or higher during the spring semester.
A record 482 Nittany Lion student-athletes earned at least a 3.0 GPA during the most recent semester, to break the spring mark of 474 high achievers set in 2015. The number of student-athletes posting at least a 3.0 GPA during the spring semester has increased 26.6 percent the past six years from the total of 354 in 2011.
Among the 482 student-athletes earning at least a 3.0 GPA, a spring semester high 224 garnered Dean’s List honors by posting a GPA of 3.5 or higher. The number of student-athletes posting at least a 3.5 GPA during the spring semester has increased 26.3 percent the past six years from the total of 165 in 2011. The previous Dean’s List spring school mark was 221 in 2015. A minimum 12 credits are required for Dean’s List recognition.
The 482 student-athletes posting at least a 3.0 GPA represent 62.3 percent of Penn State’s 773 student-athletes enrolled during the spring semester. The 224 total students earning Dean’s List recognition represented 28.9 percent of the Nittany Lion student-athletes enrolled in the most recent semester.
The combined average GPA was 3.10 among Penn State’s 31 varsity sports this past spring. The efforts of the student-athletes resulted in 22 teams earning a semester GPA of 3.0 or higher, tied for the second-highest in school history.
“This outstanding academic performance is a tribute to the efforts our talented and highly motivated student-athletes as they pursue their academic dreams, the priority placed on academic achievement by our coaches, and the support they receive from our dedicated Morgan Academic Center staff, faculty and administration,” said Sandy Barbour, Director of Athletics in a statement. “We are striving every day to providing conditions for our student-athletes to develop as well-rounded and educated citizens who will be engaged in their communities as well as after their graduation.”
