W&M Athletics Once Again Excels in NCAA Academic Progress Rate

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — William & Mary Athletics recorded strong numbers in the latest Academic Progress Rate released by the NCAA on Tuesday. The Tribe saw an increase in both perfect APR scores and NCAA Public Recognition Awards, while ranking second nationally among all public universities in both categories.

W&M programs garnered 14 Public Recognition Awards, which were the most in the CAA and the state of Virginia. The Tribe ranked sixth overall nationally for awards. It marked W&M’s second most awards in the program’s 21-year history, up two from last year, and most for the university since it had 18 for the cohort ending in 2004-05. Only the University of Michigan’s 15 Public Recognition Awards among public schools topped the Tribe nationally.

Public Recognition Awards go to teams earning multiyear Academic Progress Rates in the top 10% of all squads in their respective sport. The list of Public Recognition Award winners for W&M includes: Men’s Basketball, Men’s and Women’s Cross Country, Men’s and Women’s Golf, Men’s and Women’s Gymnastics, Lacrosse, Women’s Soccer, Men’s and Women’s Swimming, Women’s Tennis, Men’s Track & Field, and Volleyball.

W&M has received 145 Public Recognition Awards all-time. Men’s and Women’s Gymnastics, and Women’s Golf have each produced a school-best 13 awards in the history of the APR.

As a department, W&M’s APR for 2023-24 was 996 among its 21 programs (indoor and outdoor track and field are combined), while its multiyear APR was 994.06, ahead of the national average of 984. The APR included data from the 2020-21 academic year through the 2023-24 academic year.

In total, 17 Tribe programs achieved perfect APRs in 2023-24 and 13 produced perfect multi-year APRs. Each of those totals was up one from the previous numbers in 2022-23. The Tribe’s 13 multiyear APRs ranked second among all Division I public schools, seventh nationally among all DI intuitions, and once again led the state of Virginia and the CAA.

The 17 teams that sported 1,000 APRs in 2023-24 included Men’s Basketball, Men’s and Women’s Cross Country, Field Hockey, Men’s and Women’s Golf, Men’s and Women’s Gymnastics, Lacrosse, Men’s and Women’s Soccer, Men’s and Women’s Swimming, Men’s and Women’s Tennis, Men’s Track and Field and Volleyball.

Each academic year, every Division I sports team across the country calculates its APR using a simple and consistent formula. Each term, scholarship student-athletes can earn 1 point for remaining eligible and 1 point for staying in school or graduating. For schools that do not offer scholarships, recruited student-athletes are tracked.

The Academic Performance Program has established an essential framework for academic excellence. The program provides measurable goals to ensure schools are fulfilling their commitment of equipping student-athletes with the tools and resources necessary to achieve academic success.

In the past 21 years of the Academic Performance Program, nearly 22,000 student-athletes have gone back to school to earn their degrees and APR points for their former team. For football (6,428), baseball (2,416), and men’s (1,657) and women’s basketball (761), more than 11,000 former student-athletes have returned to college and earned degrees. These student-athletes are typically not counted in the federal graduation rate or Graduation Success Rate calculations.

The APR is another example of the Tribe’s success in the classroom. During the fall, the Tribe achieved elite marks in the NCAA annuals ratings – graduation rates and the APR. During the fall, the Tribe led all Division I public institutions in Federal Graduation Rate for the 19th time in the last 20 years. W&M’s 88% FGR was well ahead of the national average for all student-athletes (68%). It ranked ninth overall among all Division I schools and was the highest in the state of Virginia. W&M had 14 teams report a 100% GSR (men’s and women’s basketball, women’s cross country and track & field, field hockey, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s gymnastics, lacrosse, women’s soccer, women’s swimming, men’s and women’s tennis, and volleyball).