Oct. 17, 2008

The University of Notre Dame ranks number one in the country in terms of graduating its student-athletes, according to statistics released this week by the NCAA.

Whether measured by the federal government in its Department of Education report or by the NCAA through its newer Graduation Success Rate (GSR) numbers, graduation rates for Notre Dame student-athletes also rank among the national leaders in all major categories among all major football-playing colleges and universities. Notre Dame led the nation in the GSR ratings for all student-athletes (at 98, tied with the United States Naval Academy), while also ranking first in both the GSR and federal standings for female student-athletes (100 GSR, 93 federal) — as well as first in the federal listing for black student-athletes (84). Both the federal graduation-rate figures and the GSR numbers for Notre Dame student-athletes found the Irish ranked fourth or better nationally in five major categories among the 119 football-playing institutions in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A).

The federally mandated NCAA Graduation-Rates Report, the 18th such survey issued by the association, covers students who enrolled between 1998 and 2001 at all Division I institutions. The federal graduation rates are based on the raw percentage of student-athletes who entered an institution and graduated within six years. Students who leave or transfer, regardless of academic standing, are considered non-graduates. All those receiving athletics aid are included in the statistics. All military academies are exempt from the federal survey because they do not offer grants-in-aid to student-athletes. The GSR was created to more accurately reflect actual graduation rates by including transfer data in the calculation. College and university presidents asked the NCAA to develop a new methodology that takes into account the mobility among students in today’s higher education environment. Research indicates that approximately 60 percent of all new bachelor’s degree recipients are attending more than one undergraduate institution during their collegiate careers.

In calculations listing all student-athletes in all sports, Notre Dame tied for first among the Bowl Subdivision football schools in the GSR figures, which were initiated in 2005 by the NCAA. The University’s 98 percent GSR for all its student-athletes matched that for the U.S. Naval Academy. Using the federal formula, Notre Dame graduated a four-year average of 89 percent of its student-athletes, just behind Stanford at 91 percent.

Notre Dame graduated 93 percent of all women competing in varsity athletics, to rank first among its peer institutions (tied with Northwestern) based on the federal calculations. Among men, Notre Dame’s 87 percent federal rate was second, behind only Stanford’s 90 percent rate.

Notre Dame graduated 84 percent of its black student-athletes, ranking first nationally based on the federal rate, and Irish football players graduated at a 85 percent rate, to rank fourth. In the GSR standings, in addition to its number-one ranking for all student-athletes, Notre Dame finished tied for first among female student athletes at 100 (Vanderbilt and the U.S. Naval Academy also finished at 100), second among male student-athletes at 97 percent (behind the Naval Academy at 98), second among football players at 94 percent (behind the Naval Academy at 95), and second among black student-athletes at 96 percent (behind the Naval Academy at 98).

The NCAA also calculated graduation rates over a 10-year period (student-athletes who entered from 1992-93 through 2001-2002). During those 10 years, Notre Dame had 627 student-athletes who exhausted their eligibility – and 100 percent of them graduated within the allotted six-year period. By comparison, Northwestern had a 100 percent rate, Duke recorded 99 percent, and Boston College and Stanford both had 98 percent rates.

2008 NCAA Graduation Rates All data for student-athletes who enrolled between 1998 and 2001 (numbers are percentages)

All Student-Athletes
Federal Rate
1. Stanford, 91
2. Notre Dame, 89
3. Duke, 88
(tie) Northwestern, 88
5. Boston College, 85
6. Penn State, 82
7. Vanderbilt, 79
(tie) Rice, 79
(tie) Michigan, 79
10. Wake Forest, 78

GSR
1. Notre Dame, 98
(tie) U.S. Naval Academy, 98
3. Northwestern, 97
(tie) Duke, 97
5. Boston College, 96
6. Stanford, 95
7. Vanderbilt, 94
8. U.S. Military Academy, 92
(tie) Wake Forest, 92
(tie) U.S. Air Force Academy, 92

Male Student-Athletes
Federal Rate
1. Stanford, 90
2. Notre Dame, 87
3. Duke, 85
?4. Northwestern, 83
5. Boston College, 80
6. Vanderbilt, 77
7. Penn State, 75
8. SMU, 74
9. Wake Forest, 72
10. Rice, 71

GSR
1. U.S. Naval Academy, 98
2. Notre Dame, 97
3. Northwestern, 95
(tie) Boston College, 95
(tie) Duke, 95
6. Stanford, 94
7. U.S. Air Force Academy, 92
?8. U.S. Military Academy, 91
(tie) Vanderbilt, 91
10. Wake Forest, 89

Female Student-Athletes
Federal Rate
1. Notre Dame, 93
(tie) Northwestern, 93
3. Duke, 92
4. Rice, 91
(tie) Penn State, 91
(tie) Stanford, 91
7. Michigan, 90
8. Boston College, 89
9. Miami (Ohio), 88
10. Wake Forest, 87

GSR
1. Notre Dame, 100
(tie) Vanderbilt, 100
(tie) U.S. Naval Academy, 100
4. Northwestern, 99
(tie) Duke, 99
(tie) Rice, 99
7. Wake Forest, 98
(tie) Illinois, 98
(tie) Boston College, 98
10. Penn State, 97
(tie) Bowling Green, 97

Black Student-Athletes
Federal Rate
1. Notre Dame, 84
2. Wake Forest, 82
(tie) Stanford, 82
4. Northwestern, 81
5. Vanderbilt, 77
(tie) Duke, 77
7. Penn State, 76
8. Boston College, 72
(tie) Rice, 72
10. Marshall, 69
(tie) Southern Mississippi, 69

GSR
1. U.S. Naval Academy, 98
2. Notre Dame, 96
3. Northwestern, 94
4. Wake Forest, 89
(tie) Duke, 89
6. U.S. Air Force Academy, 86
(tie) Vanderbilt, 86
8. Stanford, 85
9. Boston College, 84
10. U.S. Military Academy, 82

Football Student-Athletes
Federal Rate
1. Stanford, 89
2. Boston College, 88
3. Duke, 86
4. Notre Dame, 85
5. Vanderbilt, 81
6. Northwestern, 78
7. Nebraska, 75
(tie) Penn State, 75
9. Cincinnati, 73
10. Rice, 71

GSR
1. U.S. Naval Academy, 95
2. Notre Dame, 94
3. Stanford, 93
4. Northwestern, 92
(tie) Boston College, 92
(tie) Duke, 92
7. Vanderbilt, 91
8. U.S. Air Force Academy, 90
9. U.S. Military Academy, 87
10. Wake Forest, 83
(tie) Miami (Ohio), 83

Since the NCAA first published GSR numbers in 2005, here are the trends for Notre Dame in all 10 categories over the four years of graduation rates (includes ranking and raw graduation percentage; SA stands for student-athletes):

Over the four years worth of numbers of both the federal rates and the GSR, Notre Dame had 40 possible rankings in the five categories (among the FBS institutions) and 11 times ranked first, 14 times ranked second and five times ranked third.