UDM has once again received high marks in the annual NCAA Graduation Success Rate figures which show that, overall, Division I student-athletes continue to perform well in the classroom, and more of them are graduating from college.
From 1999-2002, Graduation Success Rates at UDM included four teams – women's cross country/track & field, fencing, softball and soccer – with perfect 100% figures. Of note, too, is the Titan men's basketball team, which had a GSR (83) that is 20% higher than the national rate for that sport.
All told, the figures released Wednesday by the NCAA show UDM ahead of the national average in eight of 10 sports, and ahead of the Federal Graduation Rate – which does not include transfer student-athletes – in nine of the 10.
“I think this demonstrates the commitment to academic success that our student-athletes have, as well as our athletic department and University have,” Steve Corder, UDM's assistant athletic director for NCAA Compliance, said. “There isn't a better indicator of the fact that, when student-athletes come to the University of Detroit Mercy, they come here to get a degree.”
According to the latest NCAA Graduation Success Rate data, 79 percent of Division I freshman student-athletes who entered college in 2002 earned their degrees, matching last year's rate. The average Graduation Success Rate for the last four graduating classes is 79 percent, one percentage point higher than last year.
Both rates are the highest ever for Division I student-athletes, according to NCAA Interim President Jim Isch.
“Be assured, the NCAA's commitment to academics is as strong as it has ever been,” Isch said. “Having been on three major campuses before coming to the NCAA 10 years ago, I know how critical academic success is to the future of intercollegiate athletics and for the student-athletes who participate.”
The NCAA developed the Graduation Success Rate as part of its academic reform initiative to more accurately assess the academic success of student-athletes. This marks the eighth year that Graduation Success Rate data have been collected.
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