UNLV ATHLETICS SEES HISTORIC JUMP IN APR NUMBERS
Department earns highest single- and multi-year scores ever, a record 10 teams earn perfect single-year scores and five teams set or tie multi-year program marks
UNLV Athletics reported historic progress in the classroom, setting multiple NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) records as the national organization released its most recent data for the 2018-19 academic year Tuesday.
UNLV Athletics’ collective single- and multi-year scores of 990 and 979, respectively, are both record-highs. The single-year score of 990 qualifies UNLV for the academic-based revenue distribution that is available from the NCAA for the first time, allowing schools with higher graduation rates and academic success to qualify for more funds.
Additionally, a UNLV-record 10 teams earned a single-year perfect score of 1,000, eclipsing the previous mark of eight teams, which happened twice. The 10 programs with perfect 1,000s are baseball, women’s basketball, cross country, men’s golf, women’s golf, softball, men’s tennis, women’s tennis, track and field and volleyball.
Also, baseball (978), football (964), men’s soccer (965), women’s tennis (1,000) and volleyball (1,000) all set or tied program records for multi-year scores.
“We are extremely proud of our student-athletes’ record-breaking APR performances,” said UNLV Director of Athletics Desiree Reed-Francois. “Thank you to Ann McDonough, Dean of the Academic Success Center, to our Student-Athlete Academic Services Department, and to all of our coaches and staff, for their continued commitment to the success of our student-athletes. These APR milestones and our record streak of 3.0 grade point averages are shining examples of how we continue to achieve academically.”
Women’s tennis and volleyball were both recognized last week with the NCAA’s Public Recognition Award by earning a multi-year APR of 1,000, putting each team in the top-10 percent of all squads in their respective sport. It marked volleyball’s third straight award and fourth overall, and it is the fourth overall for women’s tennis. To achieve a perfect multi-year score of 1,000, a program must be perfect in four consecutive years.
For the 12th consecutive year, all 17 of UNLV’s NCAA Division I sports programs possess a multi-year APR score that exceeds the NCAA minimum cut score of at least 930 to avoid penalties, with all Rebel teams posting a multi-year score this year of at least 952.
The APR provides a real-time look at a team’s academic success each semester by tracking the academic progress of each student-athlete. The APR includes eligibility, retention and graduation in the calculation and its goal is to provide a clear picture of the academic culture in each sport. A score of 1,000 means that the institution has met the goals of retention and satisfactory degree progress for 100 percent of each of its student-athletes in a given time period. A score of 900 equates to 90 percent, 800 equals 80 percent, and so forth. The NCAA implemented the APR in 2003.
The most recent APRs are multiyear rates based on scores from the 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19 academic years.