Penn State athletes continue to excel on the field and in the classroom. A record 500 student-athletes earned at least a 3.0 grade point average. Of those 500 students, 241 earned dean’s list honors with a GPA of 3.5, according to release today from Penn State.

This high mark shatters the previous record of 468 student-athletes receiving at least a 3.0. These 500 student-athletes account for 62 percent of the total 810 athletes enrolled at Penn State. Among Penn State’s 31 Division I teams, the average GPA was 3.08 last semester.

“This stellar academic performance is a tribute to the effort our talented student-athletes direct towards their academic pursuits, the priority placed on academic achievement by our coaches, and the support they receive from our dedicated Morgan Center staff, faculty and administration,” Athletic Director Sandy Barbour said in the release. “At Penn State, developing well-rounded and well-educated citizens of the world is our top priority, and these results make our alumni and donors who have invested mightily in that premise, so very proud.  These are the kinds of results that make me proud to be at Penn State each and every day.”

On top of the increasing educational performance of these athletes, Penn State teams have won 17 Big Ten Championships and five NCAA titles since September 2012 and “consistently have been among the nation’s most successful in earning their degrees,” reads the release.