UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – One hundred fifty-five Penn State student-athletes are scheduled to graduate this weekend (May 3-5) during the Commencement ceremonies. The 155 student-athletes intending to graduate adds to the 31 student-athletes who graduated in the fall graduation and brings Penn State total graduates to 186 for the 2023-24 academic year.
Twenty-six teams will be represented during the ceremonies this weekend. Men's lacrosse leads the athletic department with 16 graduates, followed by women's lacrosse with 13.
Among the student-athletes who are slated to graduate is wrestling's Aaron Brooks, who most recently secured a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team and a trip to the Paris Summer Olympic Games. Brooks is a five-time All-American and four-time National Champion. He was also awarded the 2024 Hodge Trophy, which is given to the nation's top collegiate wrestler. On the women's side, Makenna Marisa from women's basketball, the only Lady Lion in program history to surpass 2,000 career points, 500 assists, 500 rebounds, 200 three pointers and 175 steals, intends to graduate this weekend.
Graduation Success Rates
Penn State student-athletes continue to register record-breaking graduation rates and perform well above their peers nationwide. The Nittany Lions posted a record-tying 93% NCAA Graduation Success Rate (GSR) and 13 programs earned perfect 100% ratings. This is the seventh consecutive year the Nittany Lions posted a record or record-tying performance in the classroom, according to data reported by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
The NCAA's annual graduation rates report of Division I institutions across the nation revealed Penn State student-athletes at the University Park campus earned a Graduation Success Rate (GSR) of 93% to break the school's all-time record, which was previously set in the 2020, 2021 and NCAA reports. Nittany Lion students posted a 93% graduation rate compared to the 90% average for all Division I institutions for students entering from 2013-14 through the 2016-17 academic year.
Penn State student-athletes have logged a Graduation Success Rate in the 88-93% range during each of the past 17 NCAA reports, improving from 88% in the 2015 report to a record-breaking 93% report in the most recent report.
Penn State Among the Nation's Premier Athletic Programs in Comprehensive Excellence
Under the leadership of Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Patrick Kraft, Penn State has one of the nation's most comprehensive and successful athletic programs, featuring 800 student-athletes across 31 varsity programs (16 men's, 15 women's). The Nittany Lions' 31 programs are tied for the fourth-highest number of sports sponsored by a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) institution.
Penn State student-athletes earned a record 93% NCAA Graduation Success Rate (GSR) and 12 programs earned perfect 100% ratings in the 2023 report. This is the seventh consecutive year the Nittany Lions have posted a record or record-tying performance in the classroom. Penn State is one of only six schools that have won at least 10 NCAA Championships since 2013 and earned at least a 90 percent Graduation Success Rate (GSR) in the 2023 NCAA report (California, Florida, Stanford, USC, Virginia).
