Despite having to deal with the many challenges of recent years, Division I student-athletes continue to perform well in the classroom, and The Big West saw vast achievements with 39 programs across the league reaching a perfect Academic Progress Rate of 1,000 for 2020-21.
"The boundless opportunities that present themselves in the form of academic success in The Big West are quantifiable," Commissioner Dan Butterly said. "We celebrate the 39 teams across the membership with an academic progress rate of 1,000, and all the dedicated student-athletes achieving immense success in the classroom and in NCAA Division I competition. This shows the commitment of each of our member institutions to assisting our student-athletes in achieving academic excellence in rigorous coursework while also competing at the highest level of their respective sport."
Academic progress rate is a term-by-term calculation of the eligibility and retention of all student-athletes. A score of one thousand means every student-athlete on that team stayed eligible and returned to school. You begin losing points for students who are not eligible and/or are not retained, and the calculations are based on a rolling four-year figure that takes into account all the points student-athletes could earn for remaining in school and academically eligible during that period.
Each of the 11 Big West member institutions boast at least one program attaining the 1,000-point benchmark with eight schools claiming at least two perfect scores. UC San Diego leads the way with an impressive 11 Big West programs reaching the four-digit score.
In total, the Tritons have 14 programs reaching a score of 1,000, including fencing and swimming and diving. UC San Diego is one of just 14 schools in the nation to have double-digit perfect programs to their name. UC San Diego and Santa Clara (10) are the only two universities west of the Mississippi with such lofty figures.
Cal Poly’s six 1,000-point scores in Big West sports rates second in the conference. CSUN, UC Davis and UC Santa Barbara each have four perfect APR programs, and UC Irvine stands at three. CSU Bakersfield and Long Beach State each have a pair of programs on the list.
By sport, 17 of The Big West’s 18 sponsored sports are represented, including all 10 women’s sports. Men’s and women’s golf both have five programs with a 1,000 APR to lead the way with Big West beach volleyball and women’s cross country appearing four times with the top score. Softball, women’s tennis and women’s volleyball each have three perfect scores within The Big West ranks.
The public announcement of APRs returned after a one-year hiatus, and the national four-year average is 984, up 1 point from the last publicly reported rate in May 2020. A total 99 of the 170 Big West teams, or 58.2 percent, meet or exceed the national four-year average. Seventy-nine programs across the conference earned an APR of 990 or higher.
“The APR data continues to demonstrate the high level of academic achievement of our student-athletes and teams, and their resiliency to excel through a global pandemic and instability in the intercollegiate landscape,” said Division I Committee on Academics chair Dianne Harrison, president emerita at CSUN. “The APR has been and continues to be a valuable real-time tool that provides us with an opportunity to identify and work with schools that may need additional assistance to improve their academic support services. Overall, the Academic Performance Program furthers the NCAA’s commitment to academic excellence and integrity and the public release of this APR data while penalties are suspended is a reasonable interim step.”
Each academic year, every Division I sports team across the country calculates its APR using a simple and consistent formula. Each term, scholarship student-athletes can earn 1 point for remaining eligible and 1 point for staying in school or graduating. For schools that do not offer scholarships, recruited student-athletes are tracked.
The Academic Performance Program has established an essential framework for academic excellence. The program provides measurable goals to ensure schools are fulfilling their commitment of equipping student-athletes with the tools and resources necessary to achieve academic success.
Throughout 18 years of the Academic Performance Program, more than 20,000 student-athletes have gone back to school to earn their degrees — earning points for their former team. For the high-profile sports of football, baseball, and men’s and women’s basketball, more than 10,400 former student-athletes have returned to college to complete their degrees. These student-athletes are typically not counted in the federal graduation rate or Graduation Success Rate calculations.
A complete listing of APRs for each member institution and program can be accessed by using the
APR searchable database.