VILLANOVA, Pa.—The elite academic performance of Villanova student-athletes continued at full steam during the Fall 2020 semester, with the latest set of academic data released this week showing success across the board from the Wildcats varsity sport programs. The overall GPA for student-athletes in Fall 2020 was an impressive 3.441, marking 35 consecutive semesters that the mark has been above a 3.0 and the 12^th straight semester that student-athletes have had a GPA above a 3.2.
 
There were 23 sports who posted a team GPA above a 3.0 for the Fall semester. Women's cross country led the way with a 3.750 GPA for the semester, while men's tennis was second and had the highest men's team GPA with a mark of 3.740. The other top teams were women's track & field (3.669), softball (3.662) and women's tennis (3.662).
 
Although the Fall 2020 semester was a different one than the university had ever experienced and featured a mix of virtual and in-person instruction, the group of more than 600 student-athletes continued to show the level of commitment and determination in their academic pursuits that has made Villanova one of the nation's top institutions for its combination of academic and athletic excellence. 
 
An astounding total of 47 student-athletes recorded a perfect 4.0 GPA for the Fall semester, with 21 different teams having at least one 4.0 student-athlete on their roster. Women's track & field had 10 team members with a 4.0, followed by football and men's track & field who each had six.
 
The academic data from the Fall showed 85 percent of student-athletes with a GPA above a 3.0, including 77 percent who had a mark of 3.2 or higher and were named to the Athletic Director's Honor Roll. Now in its ninth semester, the AD's Honor Roll is one of the top Athletic Department awards for academic achievement. There were also 54 percent of student-athletes who achieved a semester GPA of 3.5 or higher and were named to the Dean's List.
 
The release of academic data from Fall 2020 is the latest recognition for Villanova student-athletes. In November, the Athletic Department reported its highest-ever Graduation Success Rate with a mark of 97 percent in data released by the NCAA. Each of the Wildcats sports program exceeded the overall national average of 90 percent, while Villanova has also had at least 14 teams earn NCAA public recognition awards for their Academic Progress Rate success in the past four years.