Owls continue to set the pace in NCAA Graduation Success Rate studies

By Chuck Pool

Rice University student-athletes continue to be among the national leaders in the NCAA’s Graduation Success Rate (GSR) studies, according to data released last week.

The Owls ranked eighth overall among all schools that compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). Rice graduated 92 percent of all student-athletes who enrolled as freshmen from 2004-05 through 2007-08. Rice ranked fourth with a 93 percent graduation rate among its African-American student-athletes, while Rice’s football team ranked third among all football teams, with a graduation rate of 95 percent over the same period. Rice’s female student-athletes ranked third with a 98 percent graduation rate.

Rice led the way among Texas FBS schools, posting a GSR 12 points higher than second place TCU. The Owls had a similar percentage point lead over second-place Middle Tennessee among Conference USA schools.

The overall national GSR for student-athletes who began college in 2006 is 84 percent, which represents an overall 2 percent rise across the country and is the highest in the 13 years of the rankings. In those 13 years, the combined GSR has risen 11 points.

This year marks the 13th year GSR data has been reported. The NCAA began collecting GSR data with the entering freshman class of 1995. The latest entering class for which complete data is available is 2007.

The GSR was developed by the NCAA as part of its academic reform initiative to more accurately measure the academic success of Division I student-athletes by better accounting for the variety of academic paths followed by today’s college students. Unlike the federal graduation rate, the GSR holds institutions accountable for transfer students. The GSR also accounts for midyear enrollees and is calculated for every sport.

By counting incoming transfer students and midyear enrollees, the GSR increases the total number of student-athletes tracked for graduation by more than 10 percent. Under the GSR calculation, institutions are not penalized for outgoing transfer students who leave in good academic standing. These outgoing transfers are essentially passed to the receiving institution’s GSR cohort.

Rice ranked fifth overall in the federal graduation rate for all student-athletes (82 percent), while Rice’s overall student body was ranked sixth (92 percent). Rice’s female student-athletes rank third in the nation with a federal rate of 92 percent. The Owls posted the second-highest federal rate among African-American students (88 percent), while the football team was ranked third (87 percent).