Student-Athletes Achieve Record-Breaking 92 Percent Graduation Rate

JERSEY CITY, NJ - The NCAA released the annual Graduation Success Rate and Federal Graduation Rate Data on Wednesday afternoon and the Saint Peter's Athletics Department made history with its highest ever GSR score of 92 percent.

Eight teams posted a perfect score, which is based on the four entering classes from 2008-11: Men's Golf, Men's and Women's Swimming, Men's and Women's Tennis, Women's Bowling, Women's Volleyball and Softball.

12 Saint Peter's squads surpassed the national GSR sport average, with 10 teams posting Graduation Success Rates that were at least five points higher than the national average for their sport:

Men's Basketball: 92 percent to 81 (+11)
Men's Golf: 100 percent to 88 (+12)
Men's Soccer: 90 percent to 85 (+5)
Men's Swimming: 100 percent to 88 (+12)
Men's Tennis: 100 percent to 92 (+8)
Women's Basketball: 90 percent to 90 (+0)
Women's Bowling: 100 percent to 90 (+10)
Women's Soccer: 95 percent to 93 (+2)
Softball: 100 percent to 91 (+9)
Women's Swimming: 100 percent to 95 (+5)
Women's Tennis: 100 percent to 95 (+5)
Women's Volleyball: 100 percent to 93 (+7)

Saint Peter's also posted a higher federal graduation rate than the national average of 67 percent.

The Division I Board of Directors created the GSR in response to Division I college and university presidents who wanted data that more accurately reflected the mobility of college students than the federal graduation rate. The federal rate counts any student who leaves a school as an academic failure, no matter whether he or she enrolls at another school. Also, the federal rate does not recognize students who enter school as transfer students.

The GSR formula removes from the rate student-athletes who leave school while academically eligible and includes student-athletes who transfer to a school after initially enrolling elsewhere. This calculation makes it a more complete and accurate look at student-athlete success.