"We are thrilled when our student-athletes receive well-deserved recognition for their academic accomplishments," said Dartmouth Director of Athletics and Recreation Harry Sheehy. "As hard as our students work in the classroom, their success is also a reflection of the outstanding collaboration between our faculty, our deans and other personnel on campus."
The Ivy League also topped the survey, with the Ancient Eight combining for an average rating of 97.9%. Dartmouth led the way, followed by Brown (99.3), Columbia (98.5), Harvard (98.3), Yale (97.1), Cornell (97.0), Princeton (96.7) and Penn (96.4).
This marks the second consecutive year that the Ivy League has been included in the GSR data, as the NCAA did not collect graduation rate data for student-athletes who were not receiving athletically-related aid until 2004. Now that the six-year graduation rate data for those student-athletes who began college in 2004 is available, the data includes Ivy League schools.
The average GSR for the last four graduating classes of all Division I student-athletes(2002-2005) remains at 80 percent, still at an all-time high for the NCAA, according to NCAA President Mark Emmert. The most recent one-year GSR for the 2005 class is 81 percent, down one point from last year. Most sports remained steady or were down slightly in year-to-year comparisons.
The NCAA’s Graduation Success Rate includes transfer students and student-athletes who leave in good academic standing. The GSR measures graduation over six years from first-time college enrollment.
Each spring, the NCAA also releases a separate set of data, the Academic Progress Rate (APR), which measures both academic performance and retention. Each athletic program receives an APR score, with teams falling under a certain threshold subject to penalties such as loss of scholarships and postseason bans. The top 10 percent in each sport receive APR Public Recognition Awards from the NCAA. Last June, Dartmouth had more programs honored than any other school in Division I, with 23 teams recognized. All of Dartmouth’s programs easily met the NCAA minimum standard, and 18 maintained perfect scores.
"Anne Hudak (Associate AD for Peak Performance) plays a key role in facilitating academic resources on campus for our athletes," Sheehy added. "This excellence is what occurs with intentional action and is a wonderful example of the great work that goes on in Dartmouth Peak Performance."