UK Athletics’ 3.0 GPA Streak Reaches 25 Straight Semesters

LEXINGTON, Ky. – With grades for the 2024 fall semester now finalized, University of Kentucky Athletics has surpassed its goal of a 3.0 cumulative grade-point average for 25 straight semesters, as Wildcat scholarship student-athletes combined to achieve a GPA of 3.405. Including non-scholarship athletes from all sports, the overall UK Athletics GPA was 3.391.

The women’s golf team led the department with a fall GPA of 3.92 in both categories, not only setting the benchmark among all 23 varsity teams but setting a new department record. UK’s co-ed rifle team was in second with a 3.728 GPA, while men’s tennis was third overall with a 3.721.

Individually, 495 Wildcats achieved a GPA of 3.0 or higher, including 158 Cats who reached 4.0 for the semester.

“We focus on competition and education here at Kentucky,” UK Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart said. “In today’s environment, we want to maintain that commitment to academics alongside competitive athletics.

“Our streak of 25 straight semesters with a 3.0 GPA is testament to our students’ embrace of the world-class education the University of Kentucky offers. For them to have maintained this streak is pretty cool. Congratulations to our students for another strong semester and credit also to our academic staff and coaches for their guidance and encouragement.”

UK’s high marks in the fall semester add yet another milestone of academic success for UK student-athletes. Last month, UK had 33 current or former Wildcat student-athletes on track to graduate in 2024 December Commencement. Adding the 122 student-athletes who graduated in May, UK Athletics had 155 graduates during the 2024 calendar year. Recently, UK tied the school record for its NCAA Graduation Success Rate of 92 percent, two points above the national average of 90 percent while all of UK’s teams surpassed the mandatory score for the NCAA Academic Progress Rate. UK’s overall APR rate was higher than the overall national average.

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.

Below is a full GPA report from UK teams in the fall of 2024.