What Is Basketball Star Caitlin Clark's College GPA?
Not only did Caitlin Clark earn hefty paychecks through name-image likeness (NIL) deals while at the University of Iowa, but she also secured an impressive GPA. In March 2023, the Iowa Hawkeyes star was named to the Academic All-America team for women's basketball with a GPA of 3.60, per Hawkeye Sports. What made the feat even more impressive was that it was the second year in a row that Clark earned Academic All-America honors. That made her only the third Iowa athlete to achieve that distinction. Clark followed that up with an even higher GPA the next year.
Fans had seen how competitive Clark was on the basketball court, and she took that same approach to academics. According to Heyong-Tak Lee, an assistant professor for Clark's Marketing Research class, she wrote an exam the day after the Hawkeyes won the Big 10 championship game. "She never acted like someone who was a celebrity and winning a lot of national awards," Lee told Iowa's Tippie College of Business in September 2023. "I can't not give it my all," Clark said of her drive in the classroom.
That off-the-court work paid off, and in her final year at Iowa Clark had an impressive GPA of 3.64. Fans marveled at the academic accomplishment when Clark's GPA became public. "One more reason to admire the hell out of her," a fan wrote on X, formerly Twitter. Considering her success in the classroom and on the court, the decision to leave school a year early was not one Clark took lightly.
Why Caitlin Clark left college
Caitlin Clark announced on February 29 that she would be declaring for the WNBA Draft following the 2023-2024 college season. "I think I've known for a little while, honestly," she said during a press conference at the time, per the Indy Star. Clark had played four years as an Iowa Hawkeye, but had an extra season of eligibility due to a truncated season during the COVID-19 outbreak. "I've had quite a few conversations with our coaching staff, and they were always very supportive in trying to help me understand both sides and see both sides," the high scoring guard added, while saying she wanted to announce the decision before Iowa's senior night.
A week later, Clark spoke about how "difficult" it was to decide to leave Iowa for the pros. "I'm just kind of ready for the next chapter and a new challenge in my life," she said appearing on "Good Morning America" on March 7. "But I think the reason I decided to announce it when I did was just to have that closure," she added.
Several WNBA pros had weighed-in on whether Clark should make the leap before she had made her choice. Former WNBA All-Star, Sue Bird, thought Clark would benefit at the next level. "If I am Caitlin Clark, I am coming out of college," Bird said on the "Sports Media Podcast" in February. Even though Clark had a disappointing starting WNBA salary, she was still able to line up a big payday.
How Caitlin Clark's marketing classes helped get her paid
While attending the University of Iowa, Caitlin Clark was drawn to their Tippie School of Business program. Nancy Abram, the associate marketing professor at Tippie, made an impact on the basketball star. "She brought in a lot of students who worked at places like Amazon and Microsoft who talked about how they got where they are in their career," the former Iowa Hawkeyes star told Tippie in September 2023. "She really engaged me with marketing." That knowledge of marketing turned out to be invaluable for Clark both during her tenure at Iowa, and her upcoming time in the pros. "I'm working with executives, accountants and marketers, designers, and getting real-world experience strategically engaging with all these people," Clark said. "I should get internship hours for living my daily life running my business and brand," she added.
That marketing savvy was put to the test immediately after Clark declared she was going into the WNBA. Her NIL deal with Nike expired at the end of the 2023-2024 college season, and a bidding war ensued. Adidas's offer to Clark was different than Nike's, and after entertaining offers from other brands such as Under Armour and Puma, Clark ultimately decided to sign with Nike. In April it was reported that Clark nabbed a $28 million deal with Nike that would last eight years. Clearly her hard work in marketing classes had paid dividends.