Saint Peter’s Student-Athletes Set New Record for NCAA Graduation Success Rate

JERSEY CITY, NJ - The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has released its annual Graduation Success Rate (GSR) and Federal Graduation Rate (FGR) Data on Tuesday, and Saint Peter's University student-athletes set yet another single-year GSR high water mark at 95 percent for the 2013-14 cohort year.

Additionally, a school-record eight programs attained a perfect GSR score, which was based on the four entering classes between 2010 to 2013: men's basketball, women's basketball, men's golf, softball, men's swimming & diving, women's swimming & diving, women's cross country/track & field and women's volleyball. The only other time that Saint Peter's saw eight of its athletics programs post a perfect GSR rate was in the 2011-12 cohort year.

Taking a closer look, the graduation rate of 11 programs improved or matched their rating from last year, with three teams improving their score:

Baseball: 85-95% (+10%)
Men's Basketball: Remained at 100%
Men's Golf: Remained at 100%
Men's Soccer: 89-91% (+2%)
Men's Swimming: Remained at 100%
Women's Basketball: Remained at 100%
Women's Cross Country/Track: 95-100% (+5%)
Women's Soccer: Remained at 93%
Softball: Remained at 100%
Women's Swimming: Remained at 100%
Women's Volleyball: Remained at 100%

Saint Peter's student-athletes once again also posted a higher federal graduation rate than the national average.

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.