UK Athletics Surpasses 3.0 Overall GPA for 27th Straight Semester

LEXINGTON, Ky. – With grades for the 2025 fall semester now finalized, University of Kentucky Athletics has surpassed its goal of a 3.0 cumulative grade-point average for 27 straight semesters, as Wildcat scholarship student-athletes combined to achieve a GPA of 3.429. Including non-scholarship athletes from all sports, the overall UK Athletics GPA was 3.414.

The women’s tennis team led the department with a fall GPA of 3.880 in both categories, setting the benchmark among all 23 varsity teams. The baseball team led all men’s teams in GPA with a mark of 3.725. In the competing scholarship and non-scholarship category, every varsity team but one was over the 3.0 GPA mark, an incredible feat.

Individually, 419 Wildcats achieved a GPA of 3.0 or higher, including 134 Cats who reached 4.0 for the semester.

“We are yet again proud of our student-athletes for a strong department-wide GPA this past fall,” UK Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart said. “To have 27-straight semesters of an overall department GPA of 3.0 or better reflects that our focus on competition and education is producing results. It shows how our student-athletes and academic, coaching and support staffs are aligned in making sure we embrace the world-class education offered at the University of Kentucky. These achievements in today’s environment are great examples of the commitment to strong student-athlete experience we offer here at UK.”

UK’s high marks in the fall and spring semesters add yet another milestone of academic success for UK student-athletes. Recently, a total of 25 current and former University of Kentucky student-athletes participated in December 2025 Commencement with two earning master’s degrees. Adding the 116 student-athletes who graduated in May 2025, UK Athletics had 141 graduates during the 2025 calendar year.

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.

Guided by UK Athletics’ Student-Athlete Experience Division, Wildcat student-athletes have achieved a cumulative grade-point average of better than 3.0 in 26 consecutive semesters, with grades for the fall semester set to be finalized next week. Recently, UK set the school record for its NCAA Graduation Success Rate of 93 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.

Below is a full GPA report from UK teams in the spring of 2025.