Northwestern Football Posts Top NCAA Academic Progress Rate In FBS
EVANSTON, Ill. — Northwestern football posted a 997 Academic Progress Rate (APR) according to data released by the NCAA on Wednesday, the top mark in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). Football has ranked first or second in FBS APR in eight consecutive years, and was one of 12 Wildcats varsity programs to post the nation’s top APR in their respective sports for the new multi-year data.
NCAA Academic Progress Rate – Searchable Database
“As a department we’re committed to setting a standard in the classroom, in the community and in competition,” said Vice President for Athletics & Recreation Jim Phillips “This latest APR data underscores the exceptional work that our student-athletes are doing academically, in one of the most rigorous educational environments in college athletics. Our Wildcats continue to make the entire Northwestern community proud.”
Northwestern’s baseball, field hockey, men’s soccer, softball, women’s basketball, cross country, women’s golf, lacrosse, women’s soccer, women’s swimming & diving and volleyball programs posted perfect 1000 multi-year APR scores for the current data. Women’s soccer was the only Big Ten program with a perfect mark, while field hockey, men’s soccer, lacrosse, women’s swimming & diving and women’s basketball were each one of only two Big Ten schools to post unblemished multi-year scores.
All 12 teams received Public Recognition Awards last week by placing in the Top-10 percent of their respective sports in the latest multi-year APR scores. For the seventh consecutive year, more than half of Northwestern’s 19 varsity programs received the honor.
Wildcats men’s soccer, women’s golf and volleyball are among an elite group of 85 teams from across the country that have received the Public Recognition Award in each of the 13 years of the program.
The APR multi-year rates span the 2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16 academic years.
Each year, the NCAA honors selected NCAA Division I sports teams by publicly recognizing their latest multiyear NCAA Division I Academic Progress Rate. This announcement is part of the overall Division I academic reform effort and is intended to highlight teams that demonstrate a commitment to academic progress and retention of student-athletes by achieving the top APRs within their respective sports.
The APR provides a real-time look at a team’s academic success each semester by tracking the academic progress of each student-athlete on scholarship. The APR accounts for eligibility, retention and graduation and provides a measure of each team’s academic performance.