VILLANOVA, Pa.—It was a record-setting semester for Villanova Athletics in Fall 2025 as the grade point average for 585 student-athletes from 24 varsity sports was a new high of 3.546. The mark moves up from impressive numbers in previous grading periods and extends to 16 consecutive semesters that the GPA of student-athletes has surpassed 3.3. Villanova Athletics has maintained a department GPA above a 3.0 for 45 consecutive semesters spanning more than two decades.
The record GPA for Fall 2025 was a truly across-the-board effort by the Wildcats varsity athletics programs. Each of 24 teams posted a semester GPA above a 3.2 and 62 percent of the nearly 600 student-athletes in the department recorded a GPA above 3.5 to earn Dean's List accolades. The water polo team particularly stood out for having the highest Fall 2025 team GPA at 3.799.
The water polo squad was one of nine teams with a team GPA of 3.6 or higher. The women's swimming & diving team posted a 3.721 GPA for the Fall semester and the golf team had the highest men's GPA at 3.741. The top five teams also included field hockey (3.694) and women's soccer (3.687). The numbers added up to a terrific start to the 2025-26 academic year for Villanova Athletics, whose student-athletes posted GPA marks of 3.491 in Fall 2024 and 3.495 in Spring 2025.
On an individual level, 83 percent of student-athletes were named to the Fall 2025 Athletic Director's Honor Roll. This recognition is now in its 19th semester and is given to student-athletes who have a semester GPA of at least 3.2. The honorees are among 89 percent of all student-athletes who had a GPA above a 3.0 during the Fall 2025 semester.
There were 68 student-athletes who posted a perfect 4.0 GPA during the Fall, including at least one from 20 different sport programs. The rowing team had a department high seven student-athletes with a 4.0 GPA, while the football, field hockey and women's swimming & diving teams all had six. There were 16 teams who had at least two 4.0 student-athletes.
This week's release of academic data from Fall 2025 follows a November reveal of NCAA Graduation Success Rate (GSR) data in which Villanova was one of 16 Division I schools nationwide to have a score of at least 98 percent. The score for the Wildcats was in part the product of 14 teams who had a 100 percent NCAA GSR score in the most recent report.
Other academic accolades were bestowed upon Villanova during the Fall semester. Student-athletes from the football, field hockey, women's cross country and volleyball teams were named to their respective PhillySIDA Academic-All Area teams. The list of eight honorees included four from the football team as well as volleyball junior outside hitter Abby Harrell who was named the PhillySIDA Academic All-Area Volleyball Performer of the Year.
As always, the Wildcats matched their elite level of academic performance with strong results in athletic competition. The football team surged into the top five of the national rankings and made one of its deepest postseason runs with an 11-game winning streak and an appearance in the semifinals of the FCS playoffs. The women's cross country team qualified for the NCAA Championships and the men's squad had two student-athletes qualify as individuals for the national meet. The volleyball and field hockey teams each qualified for their respective conference tournaments.
The Fall semester also ushered in the winter sports seasons and witnessed outstanding starts to the men's and women's basketball season. The men's team is 14-4 on the season and 5-2 in BIG EAST play, while the women's team is 15-4 overall and 8-2 in conference games.
