CLEMSON, S.C. - Clemson University student-athletes smashed the all-time department record with a 3.09 GPA in the Fall 2019 semester. A school-best 11 sports reached a 3.0 or better mark, including the men’s tennis (3.31) and volleyball (3.53), which set program records.

The 3.09 overall mark topped the previous record of 3.02 set in the Fall 2014 and Spring 2015 semesters. Additionally, 295, or 60.2 percent, student-athletes earned a 3.0 or better in the fall, with 58 recording 4.0 GPAs. 

“I am incredibly proud of our student-athletes for their commitment and consistency in the classroom during the fall,” said Director of Athletics Dan Radakovich. “Our coaches and Nieri Family Student-Athlete Enrichment Center staff continue to ensure that our student-athletes are able to perform in the classroom as well as in competition.”

Volleyball topped its previous best, a 3.37 in Spring 2017. Robbie Weiss’s men’s tennis group tied its all-time best 3.31 mark, which came in Spring 2009, and saw a nearly full-point improvement over the Spring 2019. 

The football program, which finished No. 2 nationally and won the AFCA Academic Achievement Award for a second straight year, had its third-best semester ever (2.86), just behind its program-record 2.88 in Fall 2018. Rowing had its 20th consecutive semester above a 3.0, and has registered a 3.0 or better in 42-of-43 semesters since joining in Fall 1998. 

Men’s Soccer, which reached the NCAA Quarterfinal, earned a 3.11, its 11th straight semester above a 3.0. Women’s basketball posted a 2.96, its second-best semester ever (65 semesters).

Clemson’s Graduation Success Rate has been at 91 percent or higher for six consecutive years, and its Academic Progress Rate of 986 was its third-best ever. 

GPA Breakdown by Sport - Fall 2019

Bold Denotes Program Record

Overall – 3.09

Baseball – 2.79

Men’s Basketball – 2.75

Football – 2.86

Men’s Golf – 3.06

Men’s Soccer – 3.11

Men’s Tennis – 3.31

Men’s Track and Field – 2.78

Men’s Cross Country – 2.99

Women’s Basketball – 2.96

Softball – 3.25*

Rowing – 3.21

Women’s Golf – 3.47

Women’s Soccer – 3.47

Women’s Tennis – 3.34

Women’s Track and Field – 3.17

Women’s Cross Country – 3.59

Volleyball – 3.53

*First semester reporting