Intercollegiate Athletics

      Penn State student-athletes post outstanding academic performance for fall 2023

      Twenty-seven teams record at least a 3.0 GPA; Penn State student-athletes post 3.24 semester GPA

      The women’s gymnastics team recorded the highest team GPA among Penn State’s 31 programs during the 2023 fall semester. Credit: Mark Selders / Penn State. Creative Commons

      UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State student-athletes turned in another tremendous academic performance by recording a 3.24 grade-point average (GPA) for the fall 2023 semester. The Nittany Lions had 581 students (70%) with a 3.0 semester GPA and 298 dean’s list honorees (3.5 semester GPA). In addition, a record-breaking 80 full-time students tallied a 4.0 semester, with 24 carrying a 4.0 cumulative GPA.

      “Our student-athletes continue to amaze me with their commitment to excellence both academically and athletically. To have 70% of our students earn a 3.0 GPA in the fall semester is outstanding and should be a source of pride for all Penn Staters,” said Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Patrick Kraft. “Even more impressive and worthy of acknowledgement are the 80 student-athletes who had a perfect 4.0 in the fall. We are so proud to have these students represent the Blue & White.”

      2023 fall semester notable numbers:

      • 3.24 semester grade-point average.
      • 3.26 cumulative GPA.
      • 581 student-athletes with 3.0 semester GPA (seventh-straight fall semester with 500+ student-athletes with a 3.0 GPA).
      • 80 full-time student-athletes with a 4.0 semester GPA (fall and overall record).
      • 298 student-athletes on dean’s list (3.5 GPA).
      • 27 teams with a 3.0 GPA or higher.

      Penn State has roughly 800 student-athletes across 31 varsity programs. Those programs, including 16 men's teams and 15 women's, are tied for the fourth-highest number of sports sponsored by a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) institution.

      “Like many Penn State students involved in extracurricular activities, student-athletes must balance multiple demands,” said Jeff Adams, Penn State interim vice provost and dean for Undergraduate Education. “It is important to acknowledge the role many others play in helping these students be successful. This includes our faculty, our academic advisers in the colleges and Division of Undergraduate Studies, the counselors and learning specialists in the Morgan Center, and the many staff who serve our students on a daily basis.”

      Penn State student-athletes earned a record 93% NCAA Graduation Success Rate (GSR) and 12 programs earned perfect ratings in the 2023 report. This is the seventh consecutive year the Nittany Lions have posted a record or record-tying performance in the classroom.

      More than 500 Nittany Lion students earned 3.0 GPA or higher for seventh-straight fall semester

      Five hundred eighty-one of Penn State's student-athletes posted a 3.0 GPA or higher for the 2023 fall semester. Two hundred ninety-eight student-athletes also earned dean's list honors by posting a minimum 3.5 GPA with 12 credits. Overall, student-athletes at Penn State posted an average 3.24 GPA for the 2023 fall semester.

      Those accolades continue a trend of Nittany Lion success each fall over the past several years.

      Women's gymnastics posts highest team GPA

      The women’s gymnastics team recorded the highest team GPA among Penn State’s 31 programs during the fall with a 3.78 GPA, followed by the women’s tennis (3.63), women’s lacrosse (3.57), women’s swimming and diving (3.57) and women’s soccer (3.56) teams. Men’s hockey had the highest GPA among the men’s programs with a 3.50.

      Last Updated February 7, 2024

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