May 6, 2008
STANFORD, Calif. - All 35 athletics programs at Stanford University exceeded the NCAA's Academic Progress Rate standards and five Cardinal teams earned perfect 1000 scores in the fourth annual set of APR numbers released today by the NCAA.The 2008 report released by the NCAA features a four-year compilation of APR data from the 2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07 academic years and measures the eligibility, retention and graduation of student-athletes competing on every Division I sports team. It also serves as a predictor of graduation success.Stanford's women's golf, women's gymnastics, women's swimming, women's volleyball and women's water polo programs received perfect 1000 scores. Near-perfect scores came in men's golf (991), men's volleyball (995), men's water polo (992), women's basketball (990), women's cross country (995), women's lacrosse (993), women's soccer (992) and softball (992).Stanford's football team registered a score of 986, placing the Cardinal in the top 10 percentile among Division I-A teams in the country."We are very proud of our student-athletes at Stanford University for their achievements both on the field and in the classroom," said Jaquish & Kenninger Director of Athletics Bob Bowlsby. "Our APR numbers are just one indication of the successful work of our coaches and program participants."The most recent multi-year Academic Progress Rates indicate nearly all 6,272 Division I teams are achieving or exceeding the standards for academic performance based on four years of data, said NCAA President Myles Brand.Only 218 teams at 123 institutions will be sanctioned for poor performance, Brand said, while 712 teams were publicly recognized last month for APRs in the top 10 percent of each sport.Every Division I sports team calculates its APR each academic year, based on the eligibility, retention and graduation of each scholarship student-athlete. An APR of 925 projects to an NCAA Graduation Success Rate of approximately 60 percent.Teams that score below 925 and have a student leave school academically ineligible can lose up to 10 percent of their scholarships. Known as immediate penalties, these scholarships can be lost each year and not awarded until the following year. Teams can also be subject to historical penalties for poor academic performance over time."Overall, there is much to be encouraged about with the latest data," Brand said. "When we started four years ago, baseball and football were in serious trouble. There has been great improvement in both of those sports. We are not out of the woods, however. There are individual institutions that have seen steady decline in APR over the last four years. The situation is dire for them."APR scores per institution, along with penalties per school and teams receiving public recognition, are available online at ncaa.org.