Western Kentucky continues to set new standards in the classroom after wrapping the spring semester with record marks.

Despite transitioning to an online, alternative-learning format because of the COVID-19 pandemic, WKU student-athletes finished the term with a combined semester GPA of 3.27 – the highest in department history.

Additionally, the cumulative career GPA of all current student-athletes is 3.14, which is also the highest in the history of WKU athletics.

Twelve of WKU’s 14 sport programs have a team cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher, and every program has a team cumulative GPA of 2.8 or higher. More than 77 percent of all WKU student-athletes had a semester GPA of 3.0 or higher in the spring.

“These record marks are a testament to the commitment to education within WKU Athletics,” WKU athletics director Todd Stewart said in a news release. “To continue to set a new bar through the adversity presented this semester speaks volumes about the perseverance and character of our student-athletes.”

During the 2019-20 school year, 79 WKU student-athletes earned their degrees with a combined grade-point average of 3.24.

A total of 54 WKU student-athletes graduated in the spring and summer with a cumulative GPA of 3.31, which is the highest for a Hilltopper graduating class since at least 2013.

WKU athletics has also maintained the highest Graduation Success Rate (GSR) in program history at 85. Its 64 percent Federal Graduation Rate is the second-highest in program history, and 12 percent higher than the university’s general student body (52 percent).

A total of 46 WKU student-athletes earned the 2019-20 Conference USA Commissioner’s Academic Medal for maintaining a cumulative grade-point average of 3.75 or better during the 2019-20 academic year.

Additionally, 163 WKU student-athletes earned Commissioner’s Honor Roll recognition from Conference USA for maintaining a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or higher. That was WKU’s most honorees since 2015 and its second-most overall since joining C-USA.