3.0 For 30!

The University of South Carolina student-athletes have reached a departmental grade point average above 3.0 for the 30^th-straight semester.
 
Gamecock student-athletes concluded the Fall 2021 semester with a departmental grade point average (GPA) of 3.245 with 16 of 18 teams earning a GPA of 3.0 or better.
 
“The term ‘Student-Athletes’ has special meaning at the University of South Carolina,” said Athletics Director Ray Tanner. “The drive to excel on the playing fields and courts are only matched by the determination to stand out in the classroom and reach the ultimate goal of graduation.”
 
Women’s soccer (3.733) earned the highest team GPA in the fall semester and their fourth-highest team GPA on record. 

“I want to thank our Dodie Academic advisors and staff for their work in helping our student-athletes along the way,” added Tanner. “This is a great team effort. The Dodie staff wants to see our young people be successful, not only in their athletic pursuits, but also in their life pursuits.”

The department is honored to name 67 student-athletes to the President’s List for earning a 4.0, 166 student-athletes to the Dean’s List (3.5) and 396 to the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll (3.0).
 
“We are incredibly proud of the academic accomplishments of our current and former student-athletes,” said Paul Stoltzfus, Associate AD for Academics.  “Over this remarkable 15-year span, Gamecock student-athletes have cemented academic achievement and graduation as the cornerstone of the student-athlete experience at UofSC.”
 
Eleven Gamecock athletic squads have met the 3.0 standard for all 30 semesters – equestrian, men’s golf, women’s golf, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, softball, women’s swimming and diving, men’s tennis, women’s tennis, women’s track and field and volleyball.  Beach volleyball has made a 3.0 GPA or better for all 17 semesters of the sport’s existence at South Carolina.
 
South Carolina’s student-athlete academic success has also seen excellent standards in other measurements.
 
The UofSC athletic program ranks second in the Southeastern Conference in the latest Graduation Success Rate, released in December 2021 by the NCAA.  The Graduation Success Rate measures the number of scholarship student-athletes who graduate within a six-year period of their initial full-time enrollment.
 
South Carolina’s athletic teams had a 96 percent score, which is second in the SEC behind only Vanderbilt (97) in the GSR, and second in the state of South Carolina, behind only Wofford (97). Of the over 350 schools in NCAA Division I, South Carolina’s score tied for 31st overall.
 
In 2020-21, South Carolina led the SEC with 460 total student-athletes earning SEC Academic Honor Roll status. Since 2015-16, Carolina has had 2,435 student-athletes earn SEC Academic Honor Roll, which also leads the league.
 
Also, in 2020-21, South Carolina celebrated its most first-team CoSIDA Academic All-Americans with four: Aliyah Boston (Women’s Basketball Academic All-America of the Year), Mackenzie Boesel (Softball), Brett Kerry (Baseball) and Lois Kaye Go (Women’s Golf).  Women’s soccer’s Lauren Chang also earned second-team CoSIDA Academic All-American.
 
Below are the fall 2021 semester departmental grade point averages, by sport: