SIUE student-athletes are excelling in the classroom far better than their peers. That was the takeaway from the NCAA’s Graduation Success Rate (GSR) Report released Thursday.
SIUE is ranked in the top 20 nationwide among NCAA Division I public institutions and among the top third of all institutions. SIUE is second in the state of Illinois only to the University of Illinois among public state institutions.
“Our commitment to excellence begins in the classroom,” said SIUE Director of Athletics Dr. Brad Hewitt. “The University’s support structure continues to reinforce the exceptional achievements of our student-athletes. And in spite of our challenging years of transition to the NCAA Division I level, timely graduation has continued to be a focal point and expected outcome for SIUE Athletics.”
SIUE’s Graduation Success Rate for the group of student-athletes in the 2003-2006 cohort is 87 percent overall which outpaces more than a majority of fellow Ohio Valley Conference members.
In its second year as a full-fledged NCAA Division I member, this is the first time SIUE has received figures for all of its sports.
Six SIUE programs – men’s tennis, women’s basketball, women’s golf, softball, women’s tennis, and volleyball — earned a perfect score of 100 percent.
The GSR assesses student success of Division I student-athletes who graduate within a six-year period of first attending an institution. Adjustments are made for transfer students, non-scholarship students, mid-year enrollees, and those who have left an institution eligible before exhausting initial eligibility.
The NCAA developed the GSR more than a decade ago as part of its academic reform initiative to assess student-athlete academic success.
“We are meeting and exceeding the academic expectations standards set forth by the University and the NCAA,” said Hewitt.