SIUE Athletics Among National Leaders in Academic Achievement

SIUE Athletics joins the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as the state’s top public institution in graduating student-athletes and tied for 13^th nationally, according to the NCAA Graduation Success Rate (GSR) report.

Five SIUE programs earned a perfect score of 100 percent in the latest GSR figures. The men’s golf, women’s basketball, softball, women’s tennis and volleyball teams all earned a perfect scores. The GSR for the SIUE student-athletes in the 2009-2012 cohort is 92 percent overall.

“SIUE student-athletes continue to demonstrate success in the classroom from year to year,” said SIUE Director of Athletics Tim Hall. “SIUE has been among the top public institutions for many years now, and this report is a reflection of our student-athletes’ diligent work.”

Public Institutions in Illinois (GSR for 2009-12 cohort)
SIUE 92
Illinois-Champaign 92
Illinois State 90
SIUC 90
Illinois-Chicago 88
Northern Illinois 88
Western Illinois 86
Eastern Illinois 84
Chicago State 80

SIUE also is the top public institution among Ohio Valley Conference schools.

“Student-athlete success is at the forefront of our institutional goals,” added Hall. “Creating a regionally-prominent and nationally-respected athletics program begins with a strong academic reputation.”

GSR was created in 1995 in response to Division I college and university presidents, who wanted a rate that more accurately reflected the mobility of all college students than the federal graduation rate (FGR).

The GSR formula, intended to be a more complete and accurate look at student-athlete success, removes from the rate student-athletes who leave school while academically eligible and includes student-athletes who transfer to a school after initial enrollment elsewhere.

Public Institutions Nationally (GSR for 2009-12 cohort)
New Hampshire 96
Cleveland State 95
North Carolina-Asheville 95
Vermont 95
William & Mary 95
Minnesota 94
South Carolina 94
Utah State 94
Utah 94
Virginia 94
Michigan 93
Nebraska 93
SIUE 92
UCLA 92
Illinois 92
Middle Tennessee State 92
Toledo 92
Green Bay 92
UMKC 92