Through Academic Progress Rates (APR) and Graduation Success Rates (GSR), the NCAA has taken a strong stance on improving the experience of the STUDENT in student-athlete. 

NCAA Constitution Article 2.5 states  that intercollegiate athletics programs shall be maintained as a vital component of the educational program, and student-athletes shall be an integral part of the student body.  The admission, academic standing and academic progress of student-athletes shall be consistent with the policies and standards adopted by the institution for the student body in general. 

Student Success

Prospective NCAA Division I student-athletes must meet increasing academic standards in high school to first be eligible to compete in college sports. The initial eligibilty standards will become more stringent starting with the current high school freshmen class (2015).  The NCAA Eligibility Center will require a prospective student-athlete to meet the minimum academic standards to practice and/or receive financial aid as well as new higher minimum academic standards to be eligible to compete in the first year of collegiate enrollment.

• Requirements for a PSA to practice and/or receive athletics financial aid in the first academic year at Green Bay:
  • First semester: Required to meet current qualifier standards.
  • Second semester: Successful completion of 9-semester hours in previous semester.
    
• Requirements for a PSA to compete during one's first academic year at Green Bay:
  • Required to obtain a core GPA/Test score that is approximately 0.50 units higher for a given test score.
    • Example:
      • Current: 85 ACT score needs a 2.025 core GPA to compete (Final Qualifier).
      • New: 85 ACT score needs a 2.500 to compete.
        
  • Minimum of 2.3 core GPA in 16 core courses.
  • Complete 10 core courses prior to seventh semester of high school.  Seven of ten must be in English, Math, Natural/Physical Science.
    

Current Student-Athletes must meet ever-increasing academic standards and make steady progress towards their degree.

Campus Responsibility

College presidents mandated the development of a system of campus accountability in academic reform, which takes into account the various missions of NCAA colleges and universities. Accountability is tied to meaningful measures of academic performance.  Measures of academics is found in APR and GSR. 

· The APR provides a real-time “snapshot” of a team's academic success each semester by looking at current academic progress of every student-athlete.

· The APR includes eligibility, retention, and graduation as factors in the rate calculation and provides a much clearer picture of the current academic culture in each sport.

· The GSR looks back at historical academic success by measuring graduation of all student-athletes, including transfer students and students who leave campus in good academic standing.

Quick Look at APR

The NCAA developed the APR forumla to check eligibility, retention, and graduation of student-athletes on athletics aid in each sport.  Each Division I sports team receives an APR score. An APR of 925 (out of 1,000) equals roughly a 60 percent Graduation Success Rate. 

The APR for each sport is looked at on a yearly basis as well as a multiyear cohort (4-years).  The multiyear cohort must be over a 930 in order to not receive any penalties from the NCAA.  

During the 2012-13 and 2013-14, the multiyear APR must be at least 900 in order for the team/student-athletes to participate in NCAA postseason events.  Beginning in 2014-15, the multiyear APR must be at or above 930 in order to compete in NCAA postseason. 

Sports who have a multiyear APR below a 930 must submit an academic improvement plan directly to the NCAA.  The plan must include elements that assess and evaluate a team's academic admissions profile and academic outcomes with resulting institutional changes.

The commitment to establishing strong STUDENTS out of your student-athletes is a vital role for maintaining a strong team.  With the APR and GSR standards set forth by the NCAA, coaches and student-athletes must take it upon themselves to use the given resources (i.e., study table, tutors) to make the college experience one that puts a strong emphasis on being a STUDENT.