Michigan Nets School-Record Graduation Success Rate in NCAA Report
11/17/2020 1:08:00 PM | General, Academic Success Program
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan set a school record for its Graduation Success Rate (GSR) as the NCAA released Tuesday (Nov. 17) the 2020 annual GSR and Federal Graduation Rate (FGR) reports for all NCAA Division I institutions.
Michigan set an all-time record high report with a four-year average GSR of 94 percent, which is 13 percentage points higher than it was in 2010 and one point higher than last year. U-M's four-year rolling average FGR of 81 percent tied its all-time high from the 2017 and 2018 reports.
In addition, 15 of Michigan's 25 varsity athletic programs earned perfect GSR scores.
The NCAA also released its overall Division I national averages: the four-year GSR for all member schools is 90 percent, and the 2013-14 incoming class FGR is 69 percent.
Among the Big Ten Conference institutions, Michigan had the second-highest GSR at 94 and the third-best FGR score of 81. Northwestern led the conference with scores of 98 and 92, respectively, while Minnesota was second in the FGR at 82 and tied with U-M in the GSR.
Michigan's 15 varsity athletic programs with a 100 percent four-year Graduation Success Rate in the 2020 report are:
- Baseball
- Men's basketball
- Women's basketball
- Men's golf
- Women's golf
- Men's gymnastics
- Women's gymnastics
- Women's lacrosse
- Rowing
- Softball
- Men's swimming and diving
- Men's tennis
- Women's tennis
- Volleyball
- Wrestling
Women's golf and wrestling also recorded perfect Federal Graduation Rate scores for a second consecutive year.
Michigan and Nebraska are the only Big Ten schools with perfect GSR marks in both men's and women's basketball. Michigan football's GSR score of 92 ranks third behind Northwestern (97) and Minnesota (93) among league schools.
Since the NCAA began collecting GSR data with the entering freshman class of 1995, the U-M softball team has posted perfect 100 percent scores in each of the 16 annual reports. Women's golf has had perfect GSR scores the last 13 years, men's tennis for the last 11 years, and men's golf for the last 10 years.
Both the GSR and FGR are based on the number of student-athletes on athletics aid enrolling in school each year. A number of variables may impact these figures, such as student-athletes who opt for professional or educational opportunities outside of their original institution, and student-athletes in good academic standing who choose to leave school early.
The FGR is mandated by the U.S. Government and reflects the number of scholarship student-athletes who enter an institution in a specific academic year and graduate from that same institution within six academic years. It does not factor in transfer students leaving or entering an institution; the FGR counts transfers as non-graduates and therefore is typically lower than the GSR.
The GSR accounts for students who transfer into an institution and does not penalize institutions that have student-athletes who choose to transfer out while still in good academic standing.
