Hawkeyes Perfect Again in NCAA Academics Test

June 11, 2013

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IOWA CITY, Iowa — For the fourth consecutive year, all 24 of the University of Iowa’s intercollegiate athletics programs are achieving academically at a rate that surpasses the national benchmark for academic success established by the NCAA, according to an annual report released today.

The NCAA’s Academic Progress Rate report for 2012-13 revealed that all of Iowa’s 24 sports programs are comfortably above the 930 threshold that signals a red flag for the NCAA. The highlights of Iowa’s report include:

• All 24 programs scored comfortably above 930, the threshold that triggers NCAA sanctions ranging from loss of practice time to participation in national championship competition
• The APR for 18 of Iowa’s programs is better than the national average in that sport, including football, men’s basketball, and wrestling
• The APR for 13 of Iowa’s programs either increased or held steady year-over-year, including football, men’s basketball, and women’s basketball
• The largest increases were achieved by the UI’s men’s golf program (+19 to 994), women’s basketball (+13 to 971), and football (+12 to 961)
• 13 UI teams scored 980 or better, and another three scored 979

“As is always the case, the credit goes to our student-athletes, our coaches, and the many staff in our department and across campus who made academic success a high priority and have worked diligently to achieve it,” said Gary Barta, the UI’s director of athletics. “These numbers again clearly demonstrate our commitment to this important piece of the student-athlete experience.”

The Academic Progress Rate is a real-time measure of eligibility and retention of student-athletes competing on every Division I sports team. The most recent APR scores are based on a multi-year rate that averages scores from the 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12 academic years.

The goal of the NCAA’s academic performance program is improvement, not punishment. 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. This year marks the ninth year of APR data for most teams.

Beginning in 2012-13, teams must have earned a minimum 900 four-year APR or a 930 average over the most recent two years to be eligible to participate in the NCAA championship. An APR of 930 projects a Graduation Success Rate (GSR) of approximately 50 percent.

For 2014-15 championships, teams must earn a 930 four-year average APR or a 940 average over the most recent two years to participate in championships. In 2015-16 and beyond, teams must earn a four-year APR of 930 to compete in championships.

The APR scores for the UI’s 24 athletics teams are as follows: baseball (985), men’s basketball (953), men’s cross country (945), football (961), men’s golf (994), men’s gymnastics (958), men’s swimming and diving (982), men’s tennis (988), men’s indoor track and field (979), men’s outdoor track and field (979), wrestling (973), women’s basketball (971), women’s cross country (985), field hockey (986), women’s golf (984), women’s gymnastics (991), rowing (982), soccer (986), softball (987), women’s swimming and diving (997), women’s tennis (984), women’s indoor track and field (983), women’s outdoor track and field (979), and volleyball (995).

Today’s news comes on the heels of the announcement last October that UI student-athlete set new records for academic achievement.

According to an annual report by the NCAA, student-athletes that entered the University of Iowa in the fall of 2005 graduated at a rate of 77 percent. That mark — which uses the federal government benchmark for graduation success — was three points better than the previous year when Iowa tied the former school record of 74 percent set first in 1994-95. It was also six points better than the UI student body and 12 points better than that achieved all by student-athletes nationally.

The UI also set a new record by posting a score of 87 percent in the NCAA’s “Graduation Success Rate” or GSR, one point better than what was posted in 86. It marked the seventh time in the eight years of the GSR’s existence that Iowa’s student-athletes scored 80 percent or better.

The NCAA introduced the GSR in 2005 to more accurately assess the academic success of student-athletes. Unlike the federal graduation rate, the GSR holds institutions accountable for transfer student-athletes. The GSR also accounts for mid-year enrollees and is calculated for every sport.

The GSR score for 18 of Iowa’s 24 sports programs exceeded that of the national average for their peers and, and 21 of Iowa’s 24 sports programs scored 80 or better in the GSR. Five teams — women’s basketball, field hockey, women’s golf, softball and women’s tennis — achieved perfect scores of 100.

The UI’s baseball program posted the highest GSR — 93 — among Iowa’s men’s teams for the second straight season. It was followed by men’s basketball and men’s tennis at 89, men’s track and field and cross country at 88, football at 82, and men’s gymnastics at 80.

The GSR’s for football (82), men’s basketball (89), and women’s basketball (100) all bested the national averages in their sport: 68, 65, and 86, respectively. In addition:

• Iowa’s women’s basketball team scored a perfect 100 on the GSR for the third-straight year
• Iowa’s women’s golf team scored a perfect 100 on the GSR for the third-straight year
• Iowa’s field hockey team scored a perfect 100 on the GSR for the second-straight year

As noted, the GSR for Iowa’s football program ranked 14 points better than the national average and ranked behind only Northwestern (97) and Penn State (91) in the Big Ten.