Bryant University student-athletes continue to excel academically and continue to be some of the best in the country, according to data released Tuesday by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
Eight teams recorded perfect 1000 Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores, while 16 varsity sports were above the national APR average for their respective sport.
The eight teams that posted perfect APRs were Men's Cross Country, Men's Tennis, Women's Basketball, Women's Cross Country, Women's Lacrosse, Women's Soccer, Women's Swimming and Diving and Women's Tennis.
Other APR Notes
- Bryant's eight perfect 1000 APRs were the most of any Northeast Conference school.
- The multi-year APR rate for women's basketball was well above the national average (Bryant women – 1000, national average – 977).
- Bryant's football team posted an APR of 986, well above the national average of 959. Football's APR ranks 28th among all DI programs and 11th among FCS programs.
- Bryant women's soccer has posted perfect APR scores of 1000 each of the last 12 years.
"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 California State University, Northridge. "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. These student-athletes are typically not counted in the federal graduation rate or Graduation Success Rate calculations.
The minimum APR academic standard for each team is 930. Typically, teams that scored below the benchmark would have to face penalties that encourage an emphasis and prioritization on academics. However, due to the current penalty suspension in place, teams will not be subjected to penalties this year. Last year, APR data was not released publicly, and penalties were not assessed.
The Division I Committee on Academics has developed and implemented policies and initiatives to improve academic support services on campuses. Additionally, the national office is actively involved in working with schools to enhance their academic programs to help student-athletes successfully earn their degrees.
A full list of APRs for each team can be accessed by using the APR searchable database.
Original source can be found here.
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