UVA Student-Athletes Make Best Showing Ever in NCAA Report

University News

UVA Student-Athletes Make Best Showing Ever in NCAA Report

December 7, 2023 • By Jim Daves, jimdaves@virginia.edu Jim Daves, jimdaves@virginia.edu

The UVA women’s swimming and diving team has not only won three straight NCAA titles, but the Cavaliers also posted a 100% Graduation Success Rate. (Photo by Matt Riley, University Communications)

University of Virginia student-athletes are graduating at a higher rate than at any time in the last two decades, according to an NCAA report released Wednesday.

The Graduation Success Rate data for the 2013-14 to 2016-17 freshman cohorts shows Cavalier student-athletes have a graduation rate of 96%, one percentage point higher than last year’s data and the highest rate since the NCAA began reporting the information in 2002.

The NCAA’s national average for this year’s reporting range is 91%.

“These NCAA graduation metrics demonstrate the tremendous commitment to academic excellence exhibited by our student-athletes,” Director of Athletics Carla Williams said. “We have amazing young people across all of our programs, and their commitment to balance the academic rigors and athletic endeavors at one of the nation’s top universities is remarkable.

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“We are also very thankful for the invaluable support provided by our coaches and student development staff in helping our student-athletes achieve at this level.”

The Graduation Success Rate measures graduation rates for student-athletes by team. It considers student-athletes who are on scholarship their first year and who graduate from their respective universities or leave their programs, via transfer to other universities or for professional opportunities, while in good academic standing.

Figures released Wednesday reflect graduation numbers among student-athletes who entered college between 2013 and 2016. The NCAA has tracked Graduation Success Rates for more than two decades, and student-athletes have surpassed the original benchmark goal of 80%, with long-term graduation rate increases being observed year after year from an overall 74% in 2002 to this year’s record 91%.

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🎓 Congratulations to all of our mid-year graduates!

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— Virginia Cavaliers (@VirginiaSports)

The data shows 17 of 21 of Virginia’s athletic teams matched or exceeded the national average of 91% for their respective scores, including 12 programs that recorded perfect 100% graduation rates: baseball, men’s cross country and track and field, men’s golf, women’s basketball, women’s cross country and track and field, field hockey, women’s golf, women’s lacrosse, softball, women’s swimming and diving, women’s tennis and volleyball.

The Cavalier volleyball program posted a 100% graduation rate for the 19th consecutive year, which covers the entire history of the report. The Cavalier women’s golf team had a 100% rate for the 14th straight year, which covers the history of its program. Women’s cross country/track and field and women’s swimming achieved a perfect mark for the 10th straight year. The UVA women’s lacrosse team had its 14th 100% graduation rate.

The NCAA Graduation Success Rate is designed to show the proportion of student-athletes on any given team who earn a college degree. The NCAA has imposed a new set of academic standards that seeks to hold teams and institutions accountable for how well a student-athlete progresses toward a degree.