Alabama football, men’s basketball programs lead SEC in latest GSR scores

According to an EMU press release Wednesday, Eagle athletes had a GSR, or graduation success rate, of 81 percent, six percent higher than a year ago.

University of Minnesota student-athlete graduation rates improved by 2 percentage points in the NCAA’s latest tally, and Gophers also topped the national average by 2 percentage points.

Missouri Valley Conference GSR scores range from Loyola’s 98 percent to Indiana State’s 70 percent.

The GSR accounts for students who transfer into an institution and does not penalize institutions that have student-athletes who choose to transfer out while still in good academic standing. That rate, based on student-athletes who enrolled full-time in fall 2008, is 49 percent. Both the fed rate and GSR allow for a six-year window to graduate.

Since the NCAA began collecting GSR data with the entering freshman class of 1995, the U-M women’s tennis and softball teams have posted ideal 100 percent scores in each annual report. Men’s basketball, men’s tennis, women’s basketball, women’s tennis and volleyball all registered a 100 percent score.

Using that data, a four-year average GSR is produced that creates a larger sample size and clearer picture of academic success on teams of varying sizes.

WKU’s overall GSR for 14 sport programs was a school-record 82, which improved upon the 80 scored in the last release and the 79 scored in each of the two releases before that. The 88 percent represents a two-point percentage increase and continued GSR improvement for Minnesota. First, the GSR holds colleges accountable for those student-athletes who transfer into their school. “Our student-athletes continue to excel in the classroom and have embraced the true meaning of ‘student-athlete'”.

“I am so proud of the energy and passion our student-athletes have put into their academic experience”, Senior Associate Athletics Director & Assistant Provost Dr. Joe Scogin said.

Men’s basketball’s flawless score is tied for the best nationally for the third consecutive year, and is tied for tops among Big Ten Conference members. Not only does the program ensure accountability for student-athletes, teams, and institutions, but it also provides fairness by considering individual circumstances per team and school.

By contrast, the April, or Academic Progress Rate, is a year-by-year gauge of eligibility and retention for Division I scholarship student-athletes that was established in 2004.

At Northern Illinois, the contracts of football head coach Rod Carey and AD Sean Frazier translate the Huskies’ academic performance into payments for football assistant coaches and various administrative staffers.