More great academic news for student-athletes was announced today: A record 461 Penn State student-athletes achieved a grade point average of 3.0 or higher during the spring semester. This comes after 468 achieved the same marks for the fall semester, making this past academic year a banner year for Penn State athletics. The fall semester was the highest of any semester for the department, followed by the 2013 fall semester, then this past spring semester.

To put the 461 number in context, it means that 62 percent of the 800 student-athletes enrolled during the spring semester had a GPA of 3.0 or higher. This resulted in an average GPA of 3.10 for all student-athletes during the semester, up from 3.04 the previous semester. This high number was helped by the 205 student-athletes making the Dean’s List, for students scoring a GPA of 3.50 or higher.

“I am very proud of our student-athletes and coaches for their outstanding, consistent dedication to academic achievement and its proper place at the forefront of the Penn State student experience,” Athletic Director David Joyner said. “The credit belongs to the student-athletes, coaches, professors and Morgan Center staff for this superb academic performance from the spring semester, our high graduation rates and many academic successes throughout each year.”

Penn State student-athletes as a whole can be considered a special breed in today’s recruiting-heavy college athletics environment. With the athletic department focusing on academics first, the stream of good academic news this summer is a testament to its dedication.