UVA sets new mark for Graduation Success Rate

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

The NCAA released its annual Graduation Success Rate (GSR) data Wednesday for the 2013-14 to 2016-17 freshman cohorts. The scores for Virginia student-athletes are the highest since the NCAA began issuing the report.

Cavalier student-athletes covered during the current report graduated at a 96-percent rate, a one percent increase from last year’s report that tied as the previous highest mark for UVA athletics since the NCAA launched the GSR program in 2002. 

The NCAA’s national average for this year’s reporting range is 91 percent.

“These NCAA graduation metrics demonstrate the tremendous commitment to academic excellence exhibited by our student-athletes,” said Virginia director of athletics Carla Williams. “We have amazing young people across all of our programs and their commitment to balance the academic rigors and athletic endeavors at one of the nation’s top universities is remarkable. We are also very thankful for the invaluable support provided by our coaches and student development staff in helping our student-athletes achieve at this level.”

The Graduation Success Rate measures graduation rates for student-athletes by team. The GSR considers student-athletes who are on scholarship their first year and who graduate from their respective universities or leave their programs, via transfer to other universities or for professional opportunities, while in good academic standing.

Figures released Wednesday reflect graduation numbers among student-athletes who entered college in 2016. The NCAA has tracked GSR for more than two decades, and student-athletes have surpassed the original benchmark goal of 80 percent, with long-term graduation rate increases being observed year after year from an overall 74 percent in 2002 to this year’s record 91 percent.

A complete and searchable Graduation Rates Report is available online at NCAA.org.

The data shows that 17 of 21 of Virginia’s programs matched or exceed the national average (91 percent) for their respective GSR scores. A total of 12 UVA programs recorded perfect 100-percent graduation rates: baseball, men’s cross country and track & field, men’s golf, women’s basketball, women’s cross country and track & field, field hockey, women’s golf, women’s lacrosse, softball, women’s swimming & diving, women’s tennis and volleyball.

The Virginia volleyball program posted a 100-percent graduation rate for the 19th-consecutive year, which covers the entire history of the report. The Cavalier women’s golf team had a 100-percent rate for the 14th-straight year, which covers the history of its program. Women’s cross country/track & field and women’s swimming achieved a perfect mark for the 10th-straight year. The UVA women’s lacrosse team had its 14th 100-percent graduation total in the history of the report.

ABOUT THE NCAA’s GRADUATION SUCCESS RATE

The NCAA Graduation Success Rate (GSR) is designed to show the proportion of student-athletes on any given team who earn a college degree. The NCAA has imposed a new set of academic standards that seeks to hold teams and institutions accountable for how well a student-athlete progresses toward a degree.