Photo by: Ryan Kuttler/Northwestern Athletics
Wildcats Excel In New NCAA Academic Progress Rate Data
5/2/2023 2:26:00 PM | General, Academic Services & Student Development
Nine Northwestern teams earn perfect scores, the NCAA announced Tuesday
EVANSTON, Illinois -- Nine Northwestern teams earned a perfect Academic Progress Rate (APR) score in the latest data released Tuesday by the NCAA.
Northwestern field hockey, women's basketball, women's golf, lacrosse, women's tennis, volleyball, men's golf, men's tennis and wrestling all posted unblemished scores of 1000 in the current data. Despite sponsoring more varsity teams, no other Big Ten Conference school had more than seven perfect scores. The most recent APRs are multi-year rates based on scores from 2018-19 through the 2021-22 academic years.
Wildcats football program tallied a score of 996 to not only lead the Big Ten, but all FBS institutions for the first time since 2018. All 19 Northwestern teams scored at least a 989, and ranked above the national average for their sport.
The national four-year Academic Progress Rate held steady at 984. Baseball remained at 977, football fell by 2 points to 962 and men's basketball (967) and women's basketball (982) decreased by 1 point from last year's reported APR scores. These sport decreases were due to drops in eligibility rates in 2021-22 rather than lower rates of retention.
The APR, created to provide a real-time measurement of academic success than graduation rates offer, is a team-based metric in which scholarship student-athletes earn 1 point each term for remaining eligible and 1 point for staying in school or graduating. Schools that don't offer scholarships track their recruited student-athletes.
The release of Academic Progress Rate data is the latest highlight in a year of academic distinction for Wildcats student-athletes. Northwestern's 98% NCAA Graduation Success Rate is the top mark across all Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) institutions and led the Big Ten Conference for the 18th consecutive year, and 'Cats have earned an incredible 215 Academic All-Big Ten honors through the fall and winter seasons of the 2022-23 academic year.
Northwestern field hockey, women's basketball, women's golf, lacrosse, women's tennis, volleyball, men's golf, men's tennis and wrestling all posted unblemished scores of 1000 in the current data. Despite sponsoring more varsity teams, no other Big Ten Conference school had more than seven perfect scores. The most recent APRs are multi-year rates based on scores from 2018-19 through the 2021-22 academic years.
Wildcats football program tallied a score of 996 to not only lead the Big Ten, but all FBS institutions for the first time since 2018. All 19 Northwestern teams scored at least a 989, and ranked above the national average for their sport.
The national four-year Academic Progress Rate held steady at 984. Baseball remained at 977, football fell by 2 points to 962 and men's basketball (967) and women's basketball (982) decreased by 1 point from last year's reported APR scores. These sport decreases were due to drops in eligibility rates in 2021-22 rather than lower rates of retention.
The APR, created to provide a real-time measurement of academic success than graduation rates offer, is a team-based metric in which scholarship student-athletes earn 1 point each term for remaining eligible and 1 point for staying in school or graduating. Schools that don't offer scholarships track their recruited student-athletes.
The release of Academic Progress Rate data is the latest highlight in a year of academic distinction for Wildcats student-athletes. Northwestern's 98% NCAA Graduation Success Rate is the top mark across all Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) institutions and led the Big Ten Conference for the 18th consecutive year, and 'Cats have earned an incredible 215 Academic All-Big Ten honors through the fall and winter seasons of the 2022-23 academic year.
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