STATE COLLEGE — Penn State student-athletes maintained a 3.32 term grade-point average in the fall of 2024. This is up from the 3.24 average Penn State athletics held in the fall of 2023.
Last semester, 77 full-time student-athletes achieved a perfect 4.0 in the fall of 2024. On top of this 636 or 77% of student-athletes held a GPA over 3.0, with 328 of those making the dean’s list.
“I love the pride our student-athletes take in representing the blue and white each and every day,” Pat Kraft, vice president for intercollegiate athletics, said. “We are also so appreciative of the efforts of the Morgan Academic staff for providing guidance and resources to our student-athletes.”
Six hundred thirty-six 3.0 student athletes are the most the school has seen since 2020 when the grading scale was different due to the COVID-19 virus. Since then, it has been on a steady rise but has never surpassed the 600 mark.
“These results clearly show how, with the support of the outstanding staff in the Morgan Academic Center, the support of coaches and ICA leadership, the efforts of faculty to provide alternative means of learning when necessary and the commitment of the students themselves, our student-athletes can indeed achieve success in the classroom while also performing at nationally competitive levels in their sports,” Jeff Adams, interim vice provost and dean of undergraduate education, said.
Leading the way was the women’s golf team with an average GPA of 3.71. This was closely followed up by women’s gymnastics (3.69), men’s golf (3.63) and women’s swimming and diving (3.59). Twenty-nine different teams boasted at least a 3.0 GPA during the fall.
Penn State is one of just eight schools to have at least 10 NCAA national championships since 2013 and hold over a 90% graduation rate.
