NCAA Release
2025 APR Trends
The NCAA released its four-year Academic Progress Rate (APR) national average for Division I teams. The data shows steadiness with an average of 984 this year, as the division marked its 21st anniversary of APR data collection. The Big West had 38 teams representing 11 member-institutions earn a perfect APR of 1,000 for the current set of data. 

"The Big West continues to lead with distinction among the nation’s top public universities, where academic success is woven into the fabric of our athletic programs," Commissioner Dan Butterly said. "The rise in perfect APR scores this year—across more teams and more institutions—is a testament to the relentless work ethic of our student-athletes, the dedication of our coaches, and the unwavering support of our campuses. This momentum reflects more than data—it reflects a culture of excellence, resilience, and the enduring value we place on education in The Big West."

Ten member-institutions claimed at least two perfect scores. UC Irvine led the way with six teams reaching perfection, with Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara at five, and CSUN with four teams of 1,000. Long Beach State, UC Davis, UC Riverside and UC San Diego each had a trio on the listings with Cal State Bakersfield and Cal State Fullerton each with a pair to round out The Big West’s top teams. 
 
By sport, 13 of The Big West’s 21 sponsored sports are represented. Men’s golf paces the conference with seven programs that have a 1,000 APR. women’s golf and women’s tennis have five programs each with the top score.
  
All told, 116 of the 189 Big West teams, or 61.3 percent, meet or exceed the national four-year average. Eighty-nine programs across the conference sport an APR of 990 or higher. 
 
During the past 21 years of APR data, overall student-athlete academic success has risen substantially. Additionally, over the last two-plus decades, 21,365 former student-athletes have returned to the classroom after exhausting their athletics eligibility to complete degrees and earn APR points for their former team.  These student-athletes are typically not counted as graduates in the federal graduation rate or Graduation Success Rate calculations.   
 
In 1989, the Division I Degree Completion Award Program was established to provide student-athletes with financial assistance to complete their education during their five-year eligibility period. The award consists of tuition, fees, and an allowance for textbooks and other expenses.  
 
In the past 35 years, the program has awarded over $30 million to more than 2,900 student-athletes.   
 
Additionally, in 2018 the Division I Board of Directors adopted legislation to require schools to provide degree completion funding specifically to former men’s and women’s basketball student-athletes. This summer, the legislation will expand to require Division I schools to fund degree completion opportunities for former student-athletes across all sports who meet certain criteria.  
 
These actions and initiatives are just a few of the many steps the NCAA has taken to prioritize academic success and increase access to higher education opportunities, promote degree completion and earn APR points.   
 
Each academic year, every Division I sports team’s APR is calculated using a simple and consistent formula. Scholarship student-athletes can earn 1 point for staying on course for a degree in their chosen major and 1 point for being retained (or graduating) at the end of each academic term. For schools that do not offer athletics scholarships, recruited student-athletes are tracked.   

A full list of APRs for each team can be accessed by using the APR searchable database.