CAMBRIDGE, Mass.-- In the latest NCAA Graduation Success Rates announced on Tuesday, Division I student-athletes
are graduating at the highest rates ever, and 35 America East teams received perfect scores.
Boston University led the
conference with nine of its America East-sponsored sports graduating at a
100% rate, while eight of University of New Hampshire squads and five of University of Vermont's and University at Albany's earned the same
status in the report.
The following teams were recognized Tuesday with 100% graduation success: University at Albany women's basketball, women's golf, women's lacrosse, women's tennis and volleyball; Boston University's men's basketball, men's swimming and diving, women's basketball, field hockey, women's golf, women's soccer, softball, women's swimming and diving and women's tennis; University of Hartford's men's soccer, women's cross country and track and field, women's golf and volleyball; University of Maine's men's swimming and diving and women's basketball; UMBC's men's lacrosse and men's tennis; UNH's men's basketball, men's soccer, women's cross country and track and field, field hockey, women's lacrosse, women's soccer, women's swimming and diving and volleyball; Vermont's men's basketball, men's cross country and track and field, women's cross country and track and field, field hockey and women's swimming and diving.
“This is a testament to the student-athletes in America East
Conference and to our athletic directors who put an emphasis on academics
within their departments," said America East Commissioner Patrick Nero.
Our student-athletes realize the true value of
having a college degree and what outstanding opportunities may be available to
them after having graduated from any one of our nine institutions. I could not
be more proud of the success these young adults have found.”
The Graduation Success Rate was developed by the NCAA as part of its academic reform
initiative to more accurately assess the academic success of
student-athletes. The GSR holds institutions accountable for transfer
students, unlike the federal graduation rate. The GSR also accounts for
midyear enrollees and is calculated for every sport.The most recent GSR data show that 79 percent of Division I freshmen
student-athletes who entered college in 2001 earned their four-year
degrees. The average Graduation Success Rate for the last four graduating classes is 78 percent. Both rates are up one percentage point from last year.
Even when calculating graduation rates using the federal government’s methodology, which does not count transfer students, Division I student-athletes graduated at 64 percent,
the highest federal rate ever. This rate is two percentage points
higher than the general student body, two percentage points higher than
last year and up four percentage points over the past seven years.
NCAA President Myles Brand praised the latest figures, citing increased initial-eligibility standards
and an overall emphasis on academics, including the development of the
Academic Progress Rate for each Division I sports team, as key factors
contributing to student-athlete success.
“Nearly eight out of 10 Division I student-athletes are finishing
college and earning their degrees. This is extremely good news,” Brand
said. “We still have work to do and can’t declare victory just yet, but
the trend lines are moving in the right direction.”
Brand said approximately 4,000 additional student-athletes graduated
from Division I colleges over the past six years because of increased
graduation rates. Another 7,000 additional student-athletes who started
college between 1996 and 2001 earned degrees because of increased
enrollment and growth in Division I membership.
Other NCAA research has shown that nearly 90 percent of
student-athletes had earned their college degree 10 years after
starting college. The calculations for the GSR and federal rate both
limit time to graduation to six years from initial collegiate
enrollment.
“The ultimate success is in the changed lives of student-athletes,”
Brand said. “The so-called 'dumb jock’ myth is just that--a myth.”
Under the GSR calculation, institutions are not penalized for
outgoing transfer students who leave in good academic standing. These
outgoing transfers are essentially passed to the receiving
institution’s GSR cohort.
By counting incoming transfer students and midyear enrollees, the
GSR increases the total number of student-athletes tracked for
graduation by more than 37 percent. The NCAA also calculates the
federal graduation rate for student-athletes, because it is the only
rate by which to compare student-athletes to the general student body.
The most recent Graduation Success Rates are based on the four
entering freshmen classes in Division I from 1998-99 through 2001-02.
There are almost 100,000 student-athletes included in the most recent
four classes using the GSR methodology, as compared to just over 72,000
counted in the federal rate.
This year marks the seventh year that GSR data have been collected.
The NCAA began collecting GSR data with the entering freshman class of
1995. The latest entering class for which data are available is 2001.