University of Tennessee Athletics
Tennessee Student-Athletes Posted Record-Breaking Fall Semester Academically
January 12, 2023 | General, Tennessee Tailored
The recently completed Fall 2022 semester was a record-breaking term for Tennessee Athletics, as the student-athlete population posted a cumulative 3.32 grade-point average—the highest ever recorded. The previous high—excluding terms with COVID grade-mode flexibility—was 3.27 in Spring 2022.
By marking the 20th consecutive semester in which the Vols and Lady Vols combined to post a GPA of 3.0 or higher, Tennessee Athletics has now maintained that level of academic achievement for a full 10 years.
Tennessee Athletics' Rise Glorious Strategic Plan features a directive to "honor the foundation of college sports by maximizing the educational journey of each student-athlete and creating championship-level performance expectations academically."
"Vol Nation is very familiar with the phrase, 'Don't let up—put on more steam,'" Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics Danny White said. "That's exactly how our student-athletes attack each and every semester academically. To break these academic records on the heels of winning our first ever SEC Overall All-Sports title is a reminder that there's a strong correlation between competing in the classroom and on the courts and fields of play."
Notably, four sport programs—each of which also enjoyed significant competitive success in 2022—recorded their highest-ever semester GPA in the fall. Those sports were baseball, men's basketball, football and men's track & field.
"As a department, we're all extremely proud of all of our hard-working student-athletes," White said. "And we appreciate and commend the outstanding support they receive from the Thornton Center staff, their respective coaching staffs and the academic community throughout our entire campus."
Additional academic highlights from the Fall 2022 semester include:
For context, when Tennessee finished 13th in last year's Directors' Cup standings, it began its ascent in the standings with 166 points in the fall.
By marking the 20th consecutive semester in which the Vols and Lady Vols combined to post a GPA of 3.0 or higher, Tennessee Athletics has now maintained that level of academic achievement for a full 10 years.
Tennessee Athletics' Rise Glorious Strategic Plan features a directive to "honor the foundation of college sports by maximizing the educational journey of each student-athlete and creating championship-level performance expectations academically."
"Vol Nation is very familiar with the phrase, 'Don't let up—put on more steam,'" Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics Danny White said. "That's exactly how our student-athletes attack each and every semester academically. To break these academic records on the heels of winning our first ever SEC Overall All-Sports title is a reminder that there's a strong correlation between competing in the classroom and on the courts and fields of play."
Notably, four sport programs—each of which also enjoyed significant competitive success in 2022—recorded their highest-ever semester GPA in the fall. Those sports were baseball, men's basketball, football and men's track & field.
"As a department, we're all extremely proud of all of our hard-working student-athletes," White said. "And we appreciate and commend the outstanding support they receive from the Thornton Center staff, their respective coaching staffs and the academic community throughout our entire campus."
Additional academic highlights from the Fall 2022 semester include:
- Record-high GPAs for combined women's sports (3.52) and combined men's sports (3.13)
- 67 student-athletes earned a 4.00 semester GPA—the second-most ever in a semester
- 420 student-athletes (74 percent) earned a 3.00 or higher semester GPA—the highest total ever in a semester without COVID grade-mode flexibility
- A Tennessee-record 215 student-athletes were recognized on their respective Dean's Lists
- Tennessee student-athletes, representing every sport program, volunteered 2,095 hours for community outreach efforts
For context, when Tennessee finished 13th in last year's Directors' Cup standings, it began its ascent in the standings with 166 points in the fall.
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