UK Athletics’ 3.0 GPA Streak Reaches 18 Semesters
LEXINGTON, Ky. – With grades for the 2021 spring semester now finalized, UK Athletics has surpassed its goal of a 3.0 cumulative grade-point average for 18 straight semesters.
Successfully navigating the challenges brought on by COVID-19 and the hybrid system of online and in-person classes, Wildcat scholarship student-athletes combined to achieve a GPA of 3.259.
“In what has been, almost certainly, the most challenging year to be a student-athlete, I’m proud of how the Wildcats have performed in the classroom,” Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart said. “It also has been a unique time for our CATS staff, and I appreciate the work they did to help our student-athletes adapt to the changes.”
The Southeastern Conference champion women’s swimming and diving team also showed their academic skills, leading the department with a spring GPA of 3.794. The baseball team led the way for UK men’s sports, posting a GPA of 3.441.
Individually, 366 Wildcats achieved a GPA of 3.0 or higher, including 118 Cats who reached 4.0 for the semester.
UK’s high marks in the spring semester continue the trend of strong academic news:
- In November, it was announced that UK student-athletes broke both school records for NCAA Graduation Success Rate and Federal Graduation Rate. UK has broken or tied the GSR school record every year since the NCAA began measuring that statistic in 2005.
- Including the 2020 winter commencement and the 2021 spring graduation, 115 Wildcat student-athletes earned degrees or certifications during the academic year – 14 of whom were master’s degree graduates.
UK Athletics supports the academic success of its student-athletes through CATS – the first academic center of its kind dedicated solely to serving student-athletes. CATS is an important component of UK’s Student-Athlete Experience division, launched as a renewal of the department’s commitment to prepare student-athletes to enter life after UK.
