UNLV ATHLETICS POSTS STRONG GRADUATION NUMBERS
Rebels’ Graduation Success Rate is 78 percent with three teams at 100 percent and six at 90 percent or greater
UNLV’s student-athlete graduation numbers continue to rise according to the most recent data collected by the NCAA using the federal calculation for graduation rates, which were released this week.
UNLV has seen its Graduation Success Rate (GSR) gradually increase since it has been tracked, climbing to 78 percent with the most recent data available. The first GSR numbers were released in 2005 (53 percent for UNLV) and have steadily risen ever since: 56 percent in 2006, 63 percent in 2007, 66 percent in 2008, 68 percent in 2009, 72 percent in 2010 and 2011, and 76 percent in 2012.
“UNLV student-athletes have been working hard on and off the field,” UNLV President Neal Smatresk said. “Their high graduation rate is a true team effort, and the students, their academic advisors and coaches deserve high praise for a job well done.”
The GSR was developed by the NCAA as part of its academic reform initiative to more accurately assess the academic success of student-athletes. The GSR holds institutions accountable for transfer students, unlike the federal graduation rate, and the GSR also accounts for mid-year enrollees and is calculated for every sport.
In the most recent data release, UNLV had three teams with 100 percent GSR: men’s swimming, men’s and women’s tennis, while a total of six teams were at 90 percent or higher: men’s swimming, men’s and women’s tennis, women’s basketball, women’s soccer and volleyball. UNLV had a total of 10 teams at 80 percent or above.
“Our student-athletes, coaches and academic support team have worked very hard over the years, and it is great to see that reflected in these graduation numbers,” said UNLV Interim Athletics Director Tina Kunzer-Murphy. “Academics are an important part of our mission and although we are proud of our improvement, we will continue to strive to be better.”
The federal graduation rate for UNLV’s student-athletes, which doesn’t count transfer students, is at 64 percent, which has risen from just 38 percent in 2005.
The data released this week was based on the ninth year of GSR data, for students who began full-time enrollment at any college during the 2006-07 school year and received athletic aid in their first year at UNLV.