May 27, 2015

COLUMBIA, S.C. – All 19 of the University of South Carolina’s countable intercollegiate sports posted a multi-year score of 950 or better for the fourth-consecutive year, according to the Academic Progress Rate (APR) statistics that were released today.

“Our student-athletes are provided a tremendous opportunity at the University of South Carolina to earn a degree with a world class education and compete at the highest levels of intercollegiate athletics,” said Athletics Director Ray Tanner. “These solid APR numbers reflect that our student-athletes are achieving their goals. They do a great job of focusing on success in athletics and academics – a message embraced and reinforced by all areas of our athletics department.”

Highlighting the South Carolina data is nine teams (men’s basketball, women’s basketball, women’s golf, men’s soccer, women’s swimming/diving, men’s tennis, women’s tennis, women’s cross country, and volleyball) with a perfect single-year score (1,000) for the 2013-14 campaign. Additionally, women’s cross country made a single-year jump of 70 points from 930 in 2012-13 to 1000 for the 2013-14 campaign. Men’s basketball’s single-year score rose 22 points to 1000 and baseball’s single-year score rose 19 points to 990. Women’s golf and women’s tennis also earned recognition from the NCAA for being in the top ten percent of all NCAA Division I women’s golf and tennis teams after both posting a perfect four-year multiyear rate of 1000.

“To have nine teams with a perfect single-year score of 1000 shows the emphasis placed on academics for our student-athletes,” said Associate Athletics Director for Academics and Student Development Maria Hickman. “Our goal is to have every student-athlete graduate. The academic support staff and coaches work closely to foster an environment that assists students in reaching their goal of graduation. ”

The APR is a point system based on scholarship student-athletes’ eligibility and retention for a pre-determined four-year time period. NCAA sports falling below the established point cutoff (930) may be subject to penalties including scholarship reductions. The data released on Wednesday includes the scholarship student-athletes on rosters from the 2010-11, 2011-12, 2012-13, and 2013-14 academic years.

South Carolina’s Multi-Year APR Rate (Four-Year Rolling Period) by Sport: