Clemson APR Statistics Announced

May 6, 2008

Clemson, SC – Sixteen of Clemson’s 19 sports showed improvement over the data released last year according to APR (Academic Progress Rate) statistics announced Tuesday by the NCAA. No Clemson sport is listed as being in jeopardy of losing a scholarship, according to the NCAAs.

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. The statistics released Tuesday are four-year averages, the numbers the NCAA uses to determine if a team at a school will be subject to penalty (loss of scholarships).

The data released on Tuesday takes into account the scholarship athletes on rosters for the 2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07 academic years.

Sixteen of the 19 Clemson sports teams showed an improvement over the previous year, which had compiled its APR data on the previous three years. Clemson’s men’s basketball team had the largest improvement, going from an 894 for the data released in May of 2007 to a 920 for the data released on Tuesday. The program had a 998 APR for the 2006-07 academic year.

Clemson’s APR for football was 950, 14 points higher than the national average for all Division I Football Bowl Subdivision programs and 25 points higher than the average for all public institutions. It was five points higher than the 945 figure released last May. Clemson had a 966 APR for baseball, far ahead of the Division I average of 938.

The highest APR for any of the Clemson sports teams was a 992 by the Clemson rowing program. The men’s cross country team was second at 986, while the ACC Champion volleyball program was third at 984. Clemson’s golf program, which was selected for the NCAA Tournament for the 27th consecutive year on Monday, was fourth among the Tiger programs at 981.

“The APR is one of the most significant parts of academic reform initiated by the NCAA,” said Clemson Athletic Director Terry Don Phillips. “In that regard we are pleased to see the continued improvement of our programs across the board. It shows that our student-athletes have a strong academic experience with an opportunity to graduate.”