Clemson Sets New Record for Student-Athlete Graduation Success

CLEMSON, S.C. – Clemson Athletics set a new school record with a 92% graduation success rate in the report released by the NCAA on Wednesday, in which data from the incoming classes of 2008-11 academic years were included. In addition to setting the overall athletic department record, which was bested by one percentage point after the program earned a 91% GSR score each of the previous three years, the Tiger football and men’s basketball programs also set new program records for their graduation rates.

“The emphasis that our entire athletic department has on graduating student-athletes is evident in these record-breaking Graduation Success Rate percentages,” Director of Athletics Dan Radakovich said. “It’s great to see the rates continue to show the results of the hard work of our student-athletes who have dedicated themselves in the classroom to achieve their degree.”

The GSR of 92 ranks in the top 20% among the 351 reporting public institutions. The overall score of 92 also ranks in a tie for 12^th among all Power Five Conference schools, which puts Clemson in the top 18% of schools in that category. Ten of the Tigers’ 13 sports eclipsed the national average GSR for NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision schools, while an 11^th program tied the national average.

(NOTE: When reporting GSR scores, the NCAA combines cross country, indoor and outdoor track and field. Also note that the Clemson women’s golf and softball programs will not have GSR scores until the four-class data becomes available for calculation.)

Six programs, baseball, men’s basketball, men’s golf, men’s tennis and women’s tennis and volleyball, earned perfect scores of 100 in this year’s report. The Clemson volleyball program has earned a perfect score 14 years in a row, every year since the data began being released in 1998. Women’s tennis has nine-consecutive 100% GSRs, men’s tennis has four and baseball now has two, after earning its first-ever perfect score last year.

The Tiger men’s basketball program earned its first-ever perfect GSR score this year, improving 12 percentage points from last year’s report. Clemson football’s 87% graduation success rate is a new record for that program, which bested its previous high of 85% from one year ago.

NOTES ON CLEMSON’S OVERALL 92% GSR

• Set a new school record, after three-consecutive years at 91%
• Among the top 20% of 351 reporting institutions
• Among the top 18% of 65 Power Five Conference institutions

CLEMSON SPORT-SPECIFIC GSR NOTES

• The baseball program earned its second-consecutive score of 100, after receiving its first perfect score one year ago
• The men’s basketball program set a new record, earning its first-ever perfect score of 100, improving 12 percentage points from last year’s report
• The football program also set a record with an 87% score, improving from a score of 85% last year
• The men’s golf program has earned three-consecutive perfect 100s
• The men’s tennis program has scored perfect 100s four years in a row
• The women’s tennis program has earned nine-straight perfect scores, and a total of 10, out of the 14 years the data has been released
• The volleyball program has achieved a perfect 100 GSR score 14 years in a row, every year since the data began being released in 1998