Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Conclude Sensational Year in the Classroom
6/24/2015 12:14:00 PM | Academic Services & Student Development
Northwestern student-athletes achieved a record-high 3.30 GPA in spring term
EVANSTON, Ill. -- A record 3.30 grade-point average by Northwestern's nearly 500 student-athletes during the spring quarter wrapped up a 2014-15 academic year where the Wildcats raised the bar in the classroom once again. For the entire year, NU's 19 varsity athletic teams posted an average grade-point average of 3.25, the school's top mark since at least 2001.
During the spring of 2015, 18 of 19 programs achieved a team GPA of 3.0 or higher, while 12 teams earned at least a 3.30 or better. The final academic quarter of 2014-15 saw 76.6 percent of all Northwestern student-athletes earn at least a 3.0 GPA, while a total of 36 Wildcats posted perfect 4.0 marks during the recently completed session.
"The ability of our student-athletes to excel in the classroom quarter after quarter every year and continually improve upon an already sterling record is remarkable," said Jim Phillips, Northwestern vice president for athletics and recreation. "The record-breaking performance this year is a credit to the dedication and effort that this group has put forth in a tremendously rigorous academic environment. Our entire department is so proud of what these outstanding young men and women have been able to accomplish yet again."
While they compete at the highest level athletically in the Big Ten Conference, Northwestern's 19 teams have displayed a commitment to also leading the way in the classroom. The top Wildcats team this spring was men's golf with a 3.598 GPA, just ahead of field hockey, the top women's sport, and its mark of 3.525. Women's soccer placed third with a spring GPA of 3.46, while fencing checked in at fourth among the top 'Cats with a mark of 3.426.
NU's record-breaking 3.25 GPA in 2014-15 is one of several academic milestones reached this spring. On May 28, 84 spring student-athletes earned an Academic All-Big Ten honor to bring the Wildcats total to a school-record 228. This marked the fifth consecutive year that Northwestern's student-athletes accumulated at least 200 recognitions from the conference.
The Wildcats also set a multi-year APR record with 12 perfect scores of 1,000. Sixteen of 19 NU teams led the way in the Big Ten, while two more ranked second. Every NCAA Division I sports team calculates its APR each academic year, based on eligibility, retention and graduation of each scholarship student-athlete. The score also serves as a predictor of graduation success.
A school-record 15 of Northwestern's 19 varsity athletic programs received Public Recognition Awards on May 20 as part of the APR program. That marks the highest total in both Northwestern and Big Ten Conference history. The Wildcats have paced the Big Ten every year since the award's inception in 2004-05.
