Wednesday, November 8, 2017
PORTLAND, Ore. – Graduation rate figures released today for Great Northwest Athletic Conference student-athletes continue to show the GNAC as one of the leaders in Division II when it comes to academic success.
The federal graduation rate for the GNAC’s entering class of 2007 ticked up by one percent year-over-year according to data released today (Nov. 8) by the NCAA. The GNAC also showed a similar increase in its academic success rate, a data point which takes into account transfer students and removes students who left an institution in good academic standing.
Among the 24 NCAA Division II conferences, the GNAC ranked sixth with a federal graduation rate of 61 percent and tied for ninth with an academic success rate of 76 percent. The conference has ranked among the division’s top 10 conferences in both categories for seven consecutive years.
“We are extremely proud of the latest numbers released by the NCAA as well as the consistency our member institutions continue to show in graduating GNAC student-athletes,” said conference commissioner Dave Haglund. “Fostering a healthy balance between academics and athletics is a core principle of Division II, and the latest numbers indicate our members continue to take this principle seriously.”
The GNAC’s federal graduation rate for the 2007-10 cohort is five points higher than for all students at GNAC member institutions.
The federal graduation rates and academic success rates are based on the performance of freshman student-athletes who entered college from 2007 to 2010. The graduation rate data is based on a six-year cohort prescribed by the U.S. Department of Education.
Unlike the federal graduation rate, the academic success rate accounts for the academic outcomes of student-athletes who transfer from one institution to another. The Division II academic success rate also measures outcomes for student-athletes who are not receiving athletically-related financial aid, a unique metric among NCAA divisions.
As a division, the Division II graduation rate held steady at 56 percent. The Division II four-year average academic success rate increased one point to 72 percent.