NCAA RELEASES GRADUATION RATES
UNLV Athletics’ most recent numbers reflect GSR of 76 percent and FGR of 60 percent
The NCAA released its most recent Graduation Success Rate and Federal Graduation Rate data on Tuesday. UNLV’s GSR for student-athletes in 2013-14 was 76 percent and its FGR for student-athletes was 60 percent.
FGR assesses first-time, full-time freshmen in a given cohort and only counts them as academic successes if they graduate from their institution of initial enrollment within a six-year period. It makes no accommodation for transfers into or out of an institution. It is, however, the only measure that allows a direct comparison between student-athletes and the general student body.
GSR begins with the Federal cohort, and adds transfer students, mid-year enrollees and non-scholarship students (in specified cases) to the sample. Student-athletes who leave an institution while in good academic standing before exhausting athletics eligibility are removed from the cohort of their initial institution. This rate provides a more complete and accurate look at actual student-athlete success by taking into account the full variety of participants in Division I athletics and tracking their academic outcomes.
Though UNLV Athletics’ graduation numbers are slightly lower than those released last year (GSR in 2012-13 was 78 percent, while FGR was 64 percent), the current FGR of 60 percent remains 19 percent higher than the general student population at UNLV. Prior to this year, FGR for UNLV student-athletes had increased from 38 percent to 64 percent during a nine-year period.
In 2013-14, 50 percent of UNLV student-athletes achieved a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or greater and more than 200 student-athletes were named to the Dean’s Honors List (which requires a semester grade point average of 3.5 or greater) for Fall 2013 and Spring 2014. In addition, 82 UNLV student-athletes earned their degrees in 2013-14, and a similar number is expected this year.
“Our student-athletes, coaches and academic support team have worked very hard over the years, and it is great to see that reflected in our graduation numbers,” said UNLV Athletics Director Tina Kunzer-Murphy. “Academic achievement is at the heart of our mission and we are proud of our student-athletes who have earned their degrees as well as those who are on track to do so this year.”