WILLIAMSBURG — William & Mary Athletics once again ranked among the best academically in the country. The NCAA released its annual graduation rate reports on Nov. 20, and for the 19th time in the last 20 years, the Tribe produced the highest Federal Graduation Rate among all Division I public institutions.
In addition to the Federal Graduation Rate reporting, the NCAA calculates a separate graduation metric called the Graduation Success Rate (GSR). W&M was also exceptional with a department score of 95% up a point from last year. The GSR differs from the FGR by also including students who transfer into an institution, and by removing athletes who transfer out in good academic standing.
The NCAA’s overall single-year rate for the GSR held steady at 91%. W&M’s 95% GSR marked the ninth time in the 20-year history of the rating that university reached 95% or better. The Tribe ranked 11th nationally in GSR among Division I public schools and was third in the state of Virginia and fourth in the CAA in the metric.
W&M had 14 teams report a 100% GSR for the cohort, including every womens program. It marks the most teams with 100% GSR for W&M since it had 15 in 2006-07. The list includes four teams that have achieved a perfect GSR every year, including men’s and women’s gymnastics, men’s tennis, and women’s golf. Men’s golf (9), women’s soccer (8), men’s basketball (7), women’s lacrosse (7), women’s swimming (6) and women’s tennis (6) continued streaks of over five consecutive years earning 100% GSRs, while field hockey, women’s basketball, women’s cross country and track & field, and volleyball also achieved the mark.
Nine programs produced an FGR of 100%. The list of programs producing a 100% FGR for the latest cohort are men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s gymnastics, women’s cross country and track & field, field hockey, women’s soccer, women’s swimming, and women’s tennis.
In total, 18 of the Tribe’s 19 programs (cross country and track & field are combined) had a GSR above their respective sport national averages.
The data in the report includes the cohort of students who began higher education in the fall of 2017 and the four-year average of students who first enrolled between the fall of 2014 through the fall of 2017.
