Clemson Ranked Third in Graduation Success Rate According to USA Today

Oct. 4, 2007

Clemson, SC — Clemson’s football program has the third best graduation success rate among the top 25 teams in this week’s Coaches poll according to USA Today. The 2007 graduation success rate figures for all schools were released on October 3 and the publication reclassified the list according to graduation rate.

Boston College, also from the ACC, had a 93 percent rate to rank first, while Nebraska was second at 83 percent. Clemson was third at 75 percent, followed by Florida and Virginia Tech, Clemson’s opponent on Saturday, at 72 percent.

The graduation success rate does not take into account student-athletes who transfer or turn professional in good academic standing. The current study examined student-athletes who entered school between 1997-00 and gives the student-athletes six years to graduate.

Clemson should have strong numbers in the future as well. Fourteen of the 18 scholarship seniors on the 2006 team have already graduated and two more will join them in December, meaning 89 percent of last year’s seniors will have degrees by December.

Clemson also ranks fourth among the top 27 Public National Universities who play Division I football, listed in the U.S. News & World Report rankings. (Clemson is ranked 27th in the latest U.S. News & World Report public National Universities.) Only North Carolina at 79 percent, Connecticut at 78 percent and Penn State at 76 percent, rank higher than Clemson among the top 27 US News & World Report institutions. Clemson has a higher football graduation rate than seven of the eight top 10 schools who have a Division I football program.