NCAA Report Shows High Academic Achievement At Massachusetts

AMHERST, Mass. -- University of Massachusetts student-athletes continue to excel academically and achieve at a level higher than their Division I peers, according to data released Tuesday by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

As a department, UMass recorded a single-year (2018-19) Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 992, an increase of 11 points from the previous year and nine points higher than the national average among all Division I NCAA programs.

This latest APR report comes one week after five UMass teams (women's cross country, rowing, women's soccer, women's swimming and diving and tennis) were recognized by the NCAA with Public Recognition Awards for high academic achievement by posting multi-year APR scores in the top 10 percent of all squads in their respective sport.

Highlights from Massachusetts' 2018-19 APR report include:
• UMass had 13 programs (baseball, men's cross country, women's cross country, men's lacrosse, women's lacrosse, rowing, men's soccer, women's soccer, softball, men's swimming and diving, women's swimming and diving, tennis, men's track and field) earn a perfect APR score of 1000 in 2018-19.

• Twelve Massachusetts programs posted a four-year APR score at or above the national average for their respective sports.

• Two teams (women's cross country, rowing, men's soccer, women's soccer, men's track and field, women's track and field) posted APR scores at least 10 points above the national average for their respective sports.

• The men's soccer team saw the biggest increase among UMass teams, improving from a multi-year 979 APR last year to a 990 in this year, while the rowing (+10) and softball (+7) teams also saw significant increases.

NCAA President Mark Emmert praised student-athletes for continuing to achieve at what already was a very high level.

"The sustained academic achievement of Division I student-athletes is nothing short of remarkable. Their hard work in the classroom is just as evident as their efforts on the field," Emmert said. "Their success is something to be celebrated. Faculty, administrators and coaches all are committed to support student-athletes as they work toward earning a degree."

The APR, created to provide more of 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.

Every Division I sports team submits data to have its Academic Progress Rate calculated each academic year. The NCAA reports both single-year and four-year rates, on which penalties for poor academic performance are based. National aggregates are based on all teams with usable, member-provided data. APRs for each team, lists of teams receiving public recognition and those receiving sanctions are available online through the NCAA's searchable database.

University of Massachusets Athletics

NCAA Report Shows High Academic Achievement At Massachusetts

Related Videos