Latest NCAA graduation rates remain high

Student-athletes in all three divisions continue to succeed in the classroom.

Division I 

Division I student-athletes continue to achieve graduation success, according to the latest Graduation Success Rate data announced Wednesday. Both the single-year and four-year rates remain high at 90%. 

The four-year figures released Wednesday reflect graduation numbers among student-athletes who entered college from 2015 to 2018. 

 This year, all women's sports recorded a graduation rate of 90% or better, with gymnastics and lacrosse earning the highest marks at 99% and 98%, respectively.

Additionally, all men's sports recorded a graduation rate of 79% or better, with tennis and rifle having the highest rate of 94%.

GSR was created in 2002 in response to Division I college and university presidents who wanted data that more accurately reflected the mobility of college students beyond what the federal graduation rate measures. The federal rate counts any student who leaves a school as an academic failure, even if the student enrolls at another school. Also, the federal rate does not recognize students who enter schools as transfer students.

The GSR formula removes from the rate student-athletes who leave school while academically eligible and includes student-athletes who transfer to a school after initially enrolling elsewhere. This calculation provides a more accurate measurement of student-athlete success.

While student-athlete graduation success rates remain high, deeper analysis and data forecasting indicate that the additional flexibility in rules governing competition after transfer could impact graduation rates in the future. 

Division II

The Division II student-athlete graduation rate remains at an all-time high, according to the latest Academic Success Rate data announced Wednesday. The overall four-cohort rate remains at 77%.

The data Division II released Wednesday reflects graduation rates among student-athletes who entered college from 2015 to 2018. Those who entered in the most recently added cohort, 2018, would typically have been in the second semester of their sophomore year when the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020.

Overall, Division II student-athlete rates and many subgroup rates are at or near their highest-ever levels. 

All women's sports recorded a four-cohort graduation rate of 80% or better, with ice hockey (95%) and field hockey, swimming and tennis (92%) recording the highest rates.

This year, men's ice hockey had the biggest increase of any men's sport four-cohort graduation rate (increased 4 percentage points to 90%) and wrestling (increased 3 percentage points to 65%).

The NCAA developed the Division II ASR at the request of college and university presidents who believed the federal graduation rate was outdated. Division II's ASR data includes student-athletes who transfer into a school and removes student-athletes who left the school in good academic standing. In addition, given the partial-scholarship financial aid model of Division II, the ASR data includes student-athletes not on athletically related financial aid. The result is that ASR captures more than 30,000 nonscholarship student-athletes who were enrolled in the four years covered in the most recent data.

Division III

The Division III Academic Success Rate data shows that the overall rate and many subgroups are at or near their highest-ever levels. The overall four-cohort rate remains at its all-time high of 88%.

Division III student-athletes continue to graduate at a higher level than their peers who are not student-athletes, according to the latest graduation rate data announced Wednesday.

All women's sports recorded a four-cohort graduation rate of 91% or better, with field hockey, rowing and swimming (96%) leading the way. 

This year, men's ice hockey had the biggest increase of any men's sport four-cohort graduation rate (increased 2 percentage points to 91%), and baseball increased 1% to 90%.

At the 2019 NCAA Convention, the Division III membership passed a proposal requiring all schools to submit student-athlete graduation rate data to the NCAA annually.