LITTLE ROCK — A greater number of University of Arkansas athletes graduated based on an NCAA snapshot serving as an academic barometer of a program’s success, according to NCAA data released Tuesday.
Among athletes who enrolled between 2001 and 2004, roughly 73 percent earned degrees, a 13-percent increase since the metric was introduced seven years ago, according to a release from the school.
“Our record rate combined with a growing number of student-athletes earning their college degrees shows we’re making progress,” Arkansas Athletic Director Jeff Long said in a statement. “Although we have seen dramatic improvement the past few years, we must continue to work to improve the graduation rate of our student athletes.”
The school’s graduation rate, though, lagged behind the broader NCAA average of 82 percent for freshmen who enrolled in 2004-2005, and the 80-percent mark for those earning degrees within four years.
In addition, Arkansas’ graduation rate, while improved, is tied for 10th in the SEC with South Carolina, according to the NCAA data. Vanderbilt’s 92 percent graduation rate was the best in the SEC, followed by Florida (83 percent) and Alabama (82 percent). Ole Miss was at the bottom of the league with a 72 percent graduation rate.
On Tuesday, The Associated Press reported one possible reason for the record rise in numbers was the firsttime inclusion of academically elite Ivy League schools in the NCAA’s calculations. Those schools had not been included before this year because they do not award athletic scholarships.
Male athletes across the NCAA saw the biggest improvement, with their graduation rate rising 5 percentage points to 83 percent, the AP reported. Meanwhile, female athletes improved their graduation rate by 2 percentage points to 92 percent.
Arkansas athletes graduated at a rate greater than the 52 percent recorded by the federal government, which doesn’t account for transfer students, regardless of whether they earn a diploma or athletes that leave schools in good academic standing.
Reviewing the data by sport, women’s golf posted a perfect graduation rate of 100 percent along with women’s tennis, while women’s soccer (95 percent) and gymnastics (92 percent) were close behind.
On the men’s side, tennis and golf tied at a 78 percent graduation rate, while marquee programs in football (56 percent) and basketball (25 percent) brought up the rear, according to the NCAA data.
This year, a total of 77 Arkansas athletes graduated, according to the release.
“Our goal is to meet and exceed the graduation rate of the general population of the University of Arkansas,” Long said in his statement. “We have closed that gap in the past two years, but still have progress to match our overall student rate and meet our goal of helping to lead our institution academically.”
Sports, Pages 28 on 10/26/2011