Gamecock Athletics Ranks Second in SEC in Latest GSR

 The University of South Carolina athletic program ranks second in the Southeastern Conference in the latest Graduation Success Rate, released Wednesday by the NCAA.
 
The Graduation Success Rate measures the number of scholarship student-athletes that graduate within a six-year period of their initial full-time enrollment.
 
For this report, the rates are based on student-athletes who entered college in the fall of 2014. The rate shows the percentage of student-athletes who earned a degree by the spring of 2020. The four-year cohort of student-athletes who began college in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014 is also included.

South Carolina’s athletic teams had a 96 percent score, which is second in the SEC behind only Vanderbilt (97) in the GSR, and second in the state of South Carolina, behind only Wofford (97). Of the over 350 schools in NCAA Division I, South Carolina’s score tied for 31st overall. South Carolina’s Football GSR score (89) ranked third among SEC schools, second among South Carolina schools (Wofford) and tied for 23rd among all FBS schools.
 
“A college degree is a foundation for a lifetime of success,” said Athletics Director Ray Tanner. “Our student-athletes, with the assistance of our Academic Services staff, are committed to academic success and graduation. I appreciate the work put in by our staff to prepare our student-athletes on a course for achievement.”

An outstanding 11 teams scored a perfect GSR (100): Men’s Basketball, Men’s Track & Field, Men’s Soccer, Men’s Swimming & Diving, Men’s Tennis, Women’s Track and Field, Women’s Soccer, Softball, Women’s Swimming & Diving, Women’s Tennis and Volleyball. Nearly every NCAA-sponsored team exceeded the Division I national average for their sport.
 
“We are incredibly proud of the academic accomplishments of our student-athletes,” said Paul Stoltzfus, Associate AD. “A legacy of achievement, established by many former student-athletes, created the foundation that our current student-athletes have continued to build upon with their own perseverance and dedication.”
 
Gamecock Athletics has developed a proud tradition of academic success, achieving a 3.0 departmental grade point average (GPA) or higher in 29 straight semesters. Most recently, in Spring 2021, the department secured a 3.369, it’s third-highest GPA in history. Additionally, the seven highest departmental GPAs have all been achieved within the past seven semesters. During the Spring 2021 semester, 16-of-18 teams earned a GPA of 3.0 or better, while the department celebrated 95 student-athletes earning President’s List honors (4.0), 179 student-athletes earning the Dean’s List (3.5) and 441 earning the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll (3.0).
 
 
Year in Review
 
2020-2021 SEC First Year Academic Honor Roll

• South Carolina’s 127 student-athletes lapped the field, leading the conference for the 12th time in the last 15 years.
• It is also the fourth school year in a row with triple-digit honorees and is the second-highest single-year total in the department’s history.

2021 Spring SEC Academic Honor Roll

• South Carolina had 135 student-athletes across six sports make the list, the second-highest total in the conference.
• This shattered the department record of 121 honorees, set back in 2012.

 
2021 Winter SEC Academic Honor Roll

• South Carolina had 83 student-athletes across five sports make the list, the second-highest total in the conference.
• It was just five honorees from matching the athletics department’s record of 88, set in 2020-2021.

 
2020 Fall SEC Academic Honor Roll

• South Carolina had 115 student-athletes across five sports make the list, the third year in a row reaching triple digits.
• This total also leads the conference, marking the 13th time in the last 15 years that the Gamecocks led the way for fall honor roll members.