INDIANAPOLIS — The NCAA released its annual Division I Graduation Success Rate (GSR) data this week and UTSA has reported a department-record GSR of 87%, marking the eighth straight year the department has posted a GSR of 80% or better.
UTSA's 87% GSR is a five-percent increase from the 82% GSR reported last year, and it smashed the previous standard of 83% set in the 2020 report. It also represents a 21-percent jump from the 66% GSR reported a decade ago.
UTSA's 87% figure for the latest GSR report is tied with Charlotte for sixth in the current Conference USA lineup, ahead of UTEP, Western Kentucky, North Texas and Louisiana Tech.
A total of 10 UTSA sports programs logged a GSR of 80% or better in the latest report. Five teams registered a perfect GSR in the latest report, as men's golf, women's basketball, softball women's tennis and volleyball all posted a 100% GSR. Additionally, the baseball (97%), women's cross country/track & field (83%), football (87%), women's golf (86%) and soccer (84%) programs each posted a GSR over 80%.
"UTSA student-athletes continue to set lofty standards for their academic work," UTSA Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Lisa Campos said. "We're seeing a positive trend of being above 80% for eight straight years now, and it's exciting to see us break the department record for the second time in the last three reports. This is all possible because of the hard work and dedication of student-athletes and academic services staff to help develop champions in the classroom as well as the caliber of student-athlete the coaches recruit to UTSA."
The latest report also saw UTSA establish new department standards for four-class average and single-year graduation rate.
Figures released this week reflect graduation numbers among student-athletes who entered college in 2015. The NCAA has tracked GSR for more than two decades, and student-athletes have long surpassed the original benchmark goal of 80%. Since the GSR's inception, the overall student-athlete rate has soared from 74% to a two-year consistent rate of 90%.
NCAA legislation requires member schools to report enrollment (of both student body and student-athletes receiving athletics aid) and student body and student-athlete graduation rates to the NCAA each year. The NCAA then publishes reports on behalf of the member schools to comply with federal reporting requirements.
The student-athlete graduation rate calculated directly based on the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System Graduation Rates Survey, which is the methodology the U.S. Department of Education requires, is the proportion of first-year, full-time student-athletes who entered a school on athletics aid and graduated from that institution within six years. This federal rate does not account for students who transfer from their original college or university and graduate elsewhere; they are considered nongraduates at both the college they left and the one from which they eventually graduate.
The NCAA GSR differs from the federal calculation in two important ways. First, the GSR holds colleges accountable for those student-athletes who transfer to their school. Second, the GSR does not penalize colleges whose student-athletes leave the institution in good academic standing.
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UTSA Athletics registers department-record GSR in latest NCAA report
