Oct. 25, 2011
ATLANTA – The Graduation Success Report released today by the NCAA reveals that Georgia Tech’s student-athlete graduation rate continues to rise.
The most recent student-athlete GSR class (those who enrolled in 2004) recorded a 79% single-year Graduation Success Rate. This 2004 year rate is combined with the three previous years to compile Georgia Tech’s most recent overall Student-Athlete Graduation Success Rate (GSR) which is 77%. This is 2% higher than last year and is Georgia Tech’s highest recorded score since GSR’s introduction in 2005.
“We are delighted that our graduation success rate continues to trend upward,” said Athletic Director Dan Radakovich. “I think this is an indication that our coaches are not only recruiting the right kind of student-athletes, but, in combination with our academic staff, are doing a great job of keeping those young people on track to graduation.
Some of the good news for Georgia Tech included in the GSR:
• Seven of Tech’s combined thirteen GSR sports had a 100% graduation rate for this most recent graduation class, 2004-05 Cohort [men’s and women’s track/cross country, golf, women’s tennis, men’s and women’s swimming/diving, volleyball]
• Golf and women’s swimming/diving scored a perfect 100% GSR (4-year average)
• Over half of the teams improved or had no change to their GSR score compared to last year’s data. This included football which had an increase of 6%. Football’s GSR is 55%.
• The Federal Graduation Rate for all Georgia Tech students for the 2004 freshman cohort is 80%. The Four-Class Average is 79%. (Both up 1% from last year.)
GSR Background:
GSR definition/explanation: GSR measures graduation rates at Division I institutions and includes students transferring into the institutions. The GSR also allows institutions to exclude student-athletes who leave their institutions prior to graduation as long as they would have been academically eligible to compete had they remained.
GSR is often compared to the Federal Graduation Rate. The federal rate does NOT factor transfers IN or transfers OUT who leave eligible. Essentially the federal rate treats all transfers out as graduation failures. The NCAA believes the GSR is a more accurate and useful measurement of graduation success.
The period of time for inclusion for both graduation metrics is six years from initial full-time enrollment.
– GSR Cohort (4-year average) = Averages four consecutive incoming classes on their graduation success.
– Each student has six years from their start date to complete their degree.
– 2004[-05] Cohort consists of GT students who started full time in the follow years:
(1) 2001-02, (2) 2002-03, (3)2003-04, (4)2004-05
GSR is just one part of the NCAA’s Academic reform. This three-part system consists of new standards, both initial eligibility and progress toward degree; new metrics, the APR and the GSR; and new consequences through APR penalties. These three taken together are the essential pieces of academic reform.
