DURHAM, N.H. --
The University of New Hampshire ranks highest in the America East
Conference, the Colonial Athletic Conference and second nationally
among all public institutions, trailing only the U.S. Naval
Academy, for the Graduation Success Rate (GSR) of its student
athletes, according to numbers recently released by the NCAA.
“Our number one priority is to recruit, retain and
graduate high caliber student athletes,” said President Mark
W. Huddleston. “Success in the classroom is as vital as
success on the playing fields, courts and rinks at UNH.
Achieving the highest Graduation Success Rate among all of the
land-grant institutions in the nation is a wonderful achievement,
and a tribute to all who work with our student athletes, as well as
to the student athletes themselves.”
Posting 100 percent GSRs for New Hampshire were men’s
basketball, men’s ice hockey, men’s skiing, men’s
soccer, men’s tennis, women’s cross country and track,
women’s crew, field hockey, women’s gymnastics,
women’s lacrosse, women’s skiing, women’s soccer,
women’s swimming, women’s tennis and women’s
volleyball. Also performing well among its peers was football with
a 95 percent mark.
“Of all of our accomplishments athletically, this may be the
most significant,” said Athletic Director Marty Scarano.
“For a land-grant institution to achieve this distinction
there has to be a deep commitment to do all of the right things. It
reflects well on the entire university and its dedication to
student welfare, the hard work of our student athletes, coaches,
and staff, and their daily approach to their endeavors.”
The “Chronicle of Higher Education” Top 10
Overall:
1. Notre Dame
99 %
1. Colgate
99
3. U.S. Naval Academy 98
4. New Hampshire
97
4. Wofford
97
4. Northwestern
97
4. Lafayette
97
4. Furman
97
4. Duke
97
4. Davidson
97
America East GSR numbers school-by-school:
1. New Hampshire
97 %
2. Boston University 94
3. Vermont
91
4. Binghamton
86
5. Hartford
85
6. UMBC
85
7. Albany
76
8. Maine
76
9. Stony Brook
68
Colonial Athletic Association numbers school-by-school:
1. New Hampshire
97 %
2. William & Mary
95
3. UNC-Wilmington
90
4. James Madison
84
5. Towson
82
6. Delaware
80
7. Hofstra
80
8. Northeastern
78
9. George Mason
75
10. VCU
73
11. Old Dominion
71
12. Georgia State
69
UNH also had the highest GSR rate (97 percent) among 54 different
land-grant universities. The average GSR for America East was 84
percent, the average for the CAA was 80 percent and the average for
land-grant universities was 74 percent.
The news was good in general throughout the country, as the NCAA
reported that 79 percent of Division I freshman student athletes
who entered college in 2002 earned their degrees, matching last
year’s rate, and that the average GSR for the last four
graduating classes is 79 percent, one percentage point higher than
last year.
The NCAA developed the Graduation Success Rate as part of its
academic reform initiative to more accurately assess the academic
success of student athletes. The rate holds institutions
accountable for transfer students, unlike the federal graduation
rate. The Graduation Success Rate also accounts for midyear
enrollees and is calculated for every sport.
Under the calculation, institutions are not penalized for outgoing
transfer students who leave in good academic standing. The outgoing
transfers are essentially passed to the receiving
institution’s Graduation Success Rate cohort.
By counting incoming transfer students and midyear enrollees, the
Graduation Success Rate increases the total number of student
athletes tracked for graduation by more than 37 percent. The NCAA
also calculates the federal graduation rate for student athletes.
It is the only rate by which to compare student-athletes to the
general student body.
The most recent Division I Graduation Success Rates are based on
the four entering freshmen classes from 1999-2000 through 2002-03.
More than 102,000 student athletes are included in the most recent
four classes using the GSR methodology, as compared to slightly
fewer than 75,000 counted in the federal rate.
This year marks the eighth year that Graduation Success Rate data
have been collected. The NCAA began collecting GSR data with the
entering freshman class of 1995. The latest entering class for
which data are available is 2002.
The University of New Hampshire, founded in 1866, is a world-class
public research university with the feel of a New England liberal
arts college. A land, sea, and space-grant university, UNH is the
state's flagship public institution, enrolling 12,200 undergraduate
and 2,200 graduate students.
