Oct. 14, 2008
University of Notre Dame athletic programs again rank among the best in the country in graduation rates, based on Graduation Success Rate (GSR) figures released today by the NCAA – including first-place or second-place ratings in the sports of football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball.
Among the 119 Football Bowl Subdivision institutions, Notre Dame had the highest percentage of its sports with 100 percent scores, with a .863 figure (19 of 22).
In football, Notre Dame achieved a 94 GSR rating, with only the U.S. Naval Academy (at 95) ranking higher among FBS schools.
Here are the FBS institutions with scores of 80 or higher in that category:
| Score | Institution |
| 95 | U.S. Naval Academy |
| 94 | Notre Dame |
| 93 | Stanford |
| 92 | Boston College, Duke, Northwestern |
| 91 | Vanderbilt |
| 90 | U.S. Air Force Academy |
| 87 | U.S. Military Academy |
| 83 | Miami (Ohio), Wake Forest |
| 82 | Rice |
| 81 | Ohio University |
| 80 | Southern Mississippi |
In men’s basketball, Notre Dame achieved a perfect 100 GSR rating, with only Bowling Green, Florida State, Utah State and Wake Forest also reaching the top slot.
Here are the FBS institutions with scores of 80 or higher in that category:
| Score | Institution |
| 100 | Bowling Green, Florida State, Notre Dame, Utah State, Wake Forest |
| 97 | U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Military Academy |
| 92 | Oklahoma State |
| 91 | BYU, Marshall, U.S. Air Force Academy |
| 90 | Northwestern |
| 89 | Duke, Florida |
| 86 | North Carolina, Wisconsin |
| 83 | Colorado State, Rice, SMU |
| 82 | Alabama, Northern Illinois |
| 80 | Hawaii, Illinois, Ohio University, Troy, Vanderbilt |
In women’s basketball, Notre Dame also achieved a 100 GSR rating, as one of 26 Division I-A football-playing institutions with a perfect score.
Here are the FBS institutions with scores of 90 or higher in that category:
| Score | Institution |
| 100 | Boise State, Boston College, BYU, UCLA, Clemson, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Kent State, Miami (Fla.), Nebraska, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon State, Rice, Stanford, Syracuse, Tennessee, Texas, Toledo, Tulane, U.S. Naval Academy, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, Washington |
| 98 | U.S. Military Academy |
| 95 | Ball State |
| 93 | Bowling Green, Colorado State, Iowa State, Memphis, Miami (Ohio), Nevada, Oregon, Pittsburgh, Wyoming |
| 92 | Arkansas, Central Florida, East Carolina, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Penn State, SMU, Virginia Tech |
| 91 | Buffalo, Washington State |
| 90 | Arizona State, Duke, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina |
The national GSR for 2008 for Division I-A is 78 percent. Only team rates were released. The fourth-year GSR data is based upon the entering classes from 1998 to 2001.
In addition to men’s and women’s basketball, other Notre Dame programs recording 100 GSR scores were baseball, men’s cross country/track, women’s cross country/track, men’s fencing, women’s fencing, women’s golf, men’s lacrosse, women’s lacrosse, rowing, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, softball, men’s swimming, women’s swimming, men’s tennis, women’s tennis and volleyball. Hockey received a 96, football earned a 94, and men’s golf received