Northwestern recorded a 3.22 overal GPA for the athletic department in the spring quarter of 2011.Northwestern recorded a 3.22 overal GPA for the athletic department in the spring quarter of 2011.

Graduates, Stellar GPAs Provide Strong Close to 2010-11 Academic Year

June 29, 2011

EVANSTON, Ill. -- This year's Northwestern University commencement on June 17 capped another strong academic quarter for the Wildcat athletic department.

NU student-athletes received 104 bachelor's degrees and two master's degrees during ceremonies this month. All 451 student-athletes combined to earn a 3.22 overall GPA -- the second-highest in the department's history.

All 19 varsity programs attained a cumulative GPA of 2.97 or better in the spring, with 16 teams cracking the 3.00 mark. Seventy percent (316 total) of our student-athletes achieved a quarterly GPA of 3.00 or better, including 168 at 3.50 or higher and 28 with perfect 4.0 GPAs.

Northwestern women's swimming led the way among the teams with an incredible 3.64 cumulative GPA in the spring of 2011. Women's soccer was second at 3.55 and women's cross country was third with a 3.50 score.

In the Academic All-Big Ten program, Northwestern earned 69 more honors to give it 201 total for the year -- a school-record number and the first Wildcat effort of more than 200 awards. Northwestern also will break its own school record of 40 Big Ten Distinguished Scholar honors when those award winners are announced by the conference office on July 15.

"This academic year has been a tremendous one in the classroom," Director of Athletics and Recreation Jim Phillips said. "We are proud of our record-breaking performances in terms of awards and GPAs, but the real accomplishments are the 106 bachelor's and master's degrees our student-athletes received at commencement in Ryan Field. We are so excited for them to begin the next phases of their lives, but they need to understand that this is their home and they will always be welcomed back at Northwestern."

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