Jan. 19, 2006
Baylor University leads the Big 12 Conference in both four-class graduation rate and Graduation Success Rate, according to federal graduation data released Thursday by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
Baylor's four-class graduation rate, which covers student-athletes who entered school between the 1995-96 through 1998-99 academic years, was a league-best 67 percent. Kansas (64 percent) and Nebraska (63 percent) trailed Baylor in the Big 12, while the national average for all Division I institutions was 62 percent.
The GSR is the NCAA's new calculation of student-athlete academic success. The GSR was developed as a more accurate alternative to the federal methodology. The federal rate does not credit institutions for incoming transfers who graduate, and it does not remove from the calculation transfers who leave the institution in good academic standing.
In December 2005, the NCAA released GSR scores by sport, but today's announcement provided an overall success rate for each institution. Baylor boasted an overall GSR score of 90 percent, some 13 points higher than second-place Nebraska and Texas Tech, which each registered 77 percent marks. Baylor's institutional GSR was also 14 points above the Division I national GSR average of 76 percent.
"It is testament to the outstanding work of our coaches, staff and student-athletes that Baylor leads the Big 12 in graduation success rate and four-year graduation rate," said Baylor Director of Athletics Ian McCaw. "We are committed to providing our student-athletes with the highest quality academic, athletic, social and spiritual experience, and clearly they are thriving in this environment."
Baylor's one-class (1998-99 entering class) federal graduation rate of 63 percent placed in a tie for fifth-place among all Big 12 institutions and was one point higher than the national I-A average of 62 percent. Baylor is the only school in the Big 12 that has graduated at least 60 percent of its student-athletes every year since the conference began competition with the 1996-97 academic year and that can boast of being above the national average every year since the league was formed.
The latest NCAA figures also showed Baylor producing an impressive exhausted eligibility rate of 90 percent. The exhausted eligibility rate tracks the graduation rate of an institution's scholarship student-athletes in 10 incoming freshmen classes who complete their eligibility at that university.
Baylor's exhausted eligibility rate has increased from 77 percent in 1996-97 to 90 percent in the latest report which ties for the Big 12's second-highest mark behind Nebraska's 93 percent rate. The national average for exhausted eligibility is 85 percent at all Division I institutions.
Five times in the Big 12's 10-year history, Baylor has led the conference in overall student-athlete graduation rates, most-recently a year ago when it posted a school-record 78 percent mark.
Big 12 Rankings By 4-Class Average
1. Baylor, 67 percent; 2. Kansas, 64; T3. Nebraska, 63; T3. Texas A&M, 63; T5. Missouri, 62; 6. Texas Tech, 59; T7. Iowa State, 58; T7. Colorado, 58; 9. Texas, 56; 10. Oklahoma, 55; 11. Kansas State, 53; 12. Oklahoma State, 50.
Big 12 Rankings By GSR Score
1. Baylor, 90 percent; T2. Nebraska, 77; T2. Texas Tech, 77; 4. Kansas State, 74; T5. Texas 73; T5. Texas A&M, 73; T5. Missouri, 73; 8. Colorado, 71; T9. Kansas, 68; T9. Iowa State, 68; 11. Oklahoma State, 65; 12. Oklahoma, 62.
Big 12 Rankings By 1-Class Average
1. Colorado, 70; 2. Texas A&M, 67; 3. Nebraska, 66; 4. Texas Tech, 64; 5. Baylor, 63; 5. Oklahoma State, 63; 7. Kansas, 62; 8. Texas, 61; T9. Iowa State, 56; T9. Oklahoma, 56; 11. Kansas State, 55; 12. Missouri, 52.
For more information, go on-line to www.ncaa.org.
