Cal Teams Again Post Strong APR Scores
BERKELEY – The latest Academic Progress Rate scores show that Cal's intercollegiate teams continue to excel in the classroom with a program-record 18 sports at or above 980, according to data released by the NCAA on Wednesday.
Overall, 20 of 26 measured programs either improved or maintained their scores from a year ago, while 11 teams equaled or established all-time highs. Last week, a total of five teams earned NCAA Public Recognition awards for their performances, all with multiyear scores of 1,000 (the highest possible) – women's golf, lacrosse, men's and women's tennis and volleyball.
"These scores are a reflection of the hard work of our student-athletes and what they learn from our dedicated and distinguished faculty," Director of Athletics Jim Knowlton said. "Our coaches and staff, including those at the Athletic Study Center, have done an exemplary job of setting the proper culture for academic success, and our student-athletes have exhibited the type of desire and motivation necessary to achieve these impressive results."
The men's basketball team had a score of 970 – the same as last year and 31 points higher than it was four years ago. Football's score was at 976, which is just two points shy of its all-time high and up 29 points over the past four years. Men's cross country had the largest year-over-year gain, moving up 19 points to an all-time best of 995. Men's swimming & diving, field hockey and women's track & field also posted double-digit increases.
In all, 11 teams had one-year APR scores of 1,000 for the 2016-17 academic year. In addition to the five teams receiving Public Recognition, they were: beach volleyball, men's cross country, women's basketball, field hockey, women's swimming & diving, and women's water polo.
The APR, created to be a more real-time measurement of academic success than graduation rates, is a team-based metric through which scholarship student-athletes each term earn 1 point for remaining eligible and 1 point for staying in school or graduating. Every Division I sports team calculates its Academic Progress Rate each academic year, and the NCAA reports both single-year rates and four-year rates. The most recent multiyear APR rates are based on scores from the 2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016-17 academic years.
Results are not tabulated for men's crew and rugby, which are not NCAA sports. Teams must compile a multi-year score of 930 or higher or risk losing eligibility to compete in NCAA postseason championships.
In additional academic news, data from the Athletic Study Center show that the average GPA for all student-athletes for the fall 2017 semester was 3.005 – its highest in at least four years – with 22 teams posting GPAs higher than their historical averages. The GPA for all men's teams has risen for eight consecutive semesters, and overall, 139 student-athletes recorded a GPA of at least 3.50.