University of Evansville leads MVC in Graduation Success Rate

Aces Finish With Top Total In The League

 EVANSVILLE, Ind. – On Thursday, the NCAA released Graduation Success Rate (GSR) data and the top score in the Missouri Valley Conference belonged to the University of Evansville.  This marks the fourth year in a row that UE has led or tied for the top conference score.

With a score of 97, the Purple Aces paced the MVC with two schools finishing just behind with tallies of 96.  The NCAA GSR report gives graduation information for students and student-athletes who entered college in 2014, the most recent class for which the required six years of information is available. It also breaks down the GSR by sport, using a four-year class average (2011-2014) called a cohort rate to provide a big enough sample.

“This recognition is a testament to the coaches and student-athletes at the University of Evansville,” UE Director of Athletics Mark Spencer said.  “As a department, we are committed to providing a student-athlete experience that is second to none and the scores that our department has achieved are a reflection of that commitment.”

Beginning in Spring 2020, a portion of Division I revenue was distributed to member schools based on the academic achievement of student-athletes. The model allows schools with higher graduation rates and academic success to qualify for more funds.

Evansville had multiple sports finish with perfect scores of 100.  Those programs included men’s basketball, men’s golf, men’s cross country, and track and field, women’s golf, softball, women’s soccer, women’s swimming and diving, women’s cross country, and track and field along with volleyball.

“We are quite proud of this achievement sitting atop the MVC for a fourth consecutive year,” UE Senior Associate AD for Internal Operations Sarah Solinsky exclaimed.  “This is accomplished with the commitment of our coaches recruiting high-quality student-athletes and our University’s team effort in supporting our student-athletes in their pursuit of academic excellence.”

THE CRITERIA
A school earns an academic unit by meeting any ONE of the three standards.

• The graduation Success Rate for the most recently available year is equal to or greater than 90 percent. The average of single-year rates for all teams is used.
• The difference between student-athlete and student body percentages in the most recently published Federal Graduation Rate is equal to or greater than 13 percentage points.
• The Academic Progress Rate for the previous year is equal to or greater than 985. The average of single-year scores for all teams is used to determine eligibility for this standard.