April 20, 2016 Sixteen University of Notre Dame athletic teams earned 1,000 scores — more perfect scores than any other NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision school — in the annual set of Academic Progress Rate statistics issued today by the NCAA.
Every Irish athletics program again exceeded the NCAA’s APR minimum standards.
Notre Dame’s number of perfect scores of 1,000 has ranked either first or second among all FBS programs for 11 straight years. Leaders in the 2016 data released today are Notre Dame (16), Stanford (14), Boston College (12), Minnesota (11), Rice (10), Duke and Northwestern (nine each), Tulane (seven), along with Auburn, Michigan and North Carolina (six each).
Notre Dame also led the FBS schools in 1,000 scores in 2015 (with an institutional record 17) and 2013 and 2012 (both with 12), in 2009 (with nine), in 2008 (with eight, tied with Duke) and in 2006 (with 14, tied with Boston College). Notre Dame finished second in number of 1,000 scores in 2014, 2011, 2010 and 2007.
The 2016 report released by the NCAA features a four-year compilation of APR data from the 2011-12, 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15 academic years. The APR uses a series of formulas related to student-athlete retention and eligibility to measure the academic performances of all participants who receive grants-in-aid on every team at every NCAA Division I college and university.
Seven Notre Dame’s men’s teams — cross country, fencing, golf, lacrosse, soccer, tennis, track and field — registered perfect 1,000 scores. Nine Irish women’s teams — basketball, cross country, fencing, lacrosse, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field, volleyball — also earned perfect scores. This year for the first time indoor and outdoor track and field were combined into one score.
Six other Notre Dame teams produced scores of 985 or better: women’s rowing (998), men’s swimming and diving (994), baseball (991), men’s ice hockey (991), women’s golf (988) and women’s soccer (985).
Over 11 years worth of APR numbers, Irish teams in men’s cross country, men’s golf and men’s track and field have earned 1,000 scores every year. Women’s tennis, men’s fencing, men’s tennis, softball and women’s cross country all have earned seven 1,000 scores — while women’s fencing has earned six.
Over those same 11 years, Notre Dame has had 17 sports that have achieved scores of 988 or higher every year: men’s cross country, men’s fencing, men’s golf, men’s ice hockey, men’s lacrosse, men’s swimming and diving, men’s tennis, men’s indoor track and field, men’s outdoor track and field, softball, women’s cross country, women’s golf, women’s lacrosse, rowing, women’s swimming and diving, women’s tennis and volleyball.
The release follows the announcement last week by the NCAA of teams that posted multi-year APR scores in the top 10 percent of all squads in their respective sports. The public recognition awards are part of the broad Division I academic reform effort.
Notre Dame also had 16 of its programs honored last week for the multi-year achievement (second most among all FBS schools) — men’s cross country, men’s fencing, men’s golf, men’s lacrosse, men’s soccer, men’s tennis, men’s track and field, women’s basketball, women’s cross country, women’s fencing, women’s lacrosse, softball, women’s swimming and diving, women’s tennis, women’s track and field and volleyball.
Notre Dame had 15 programs honored with public recognition awards in both 2014 (first among FBS schools) and 2013 (tied for first with Duke), 17 in 2015 (second in the FBS) and both 2012 and 2011 (both years number one in FBS), 14 in both 2010 and 2009 (ranking first that year) — and 11 in both 2008 and 2007.
The APR provides a real-time look at a team’s academic success each semester, by tracking the academic progress of each student-athlete. The APR includes both retention at institution and academic eligibility in its calculation and provides a clear picture of the academic culture in each sport.
Here is where Notre Dame has ranked annually among FBS institutions in terms of raw numbers of individual team 1,000 APR scores:
2016 — 1. Notre Dame 16 (7 men’s sports, 9 women’s sports); 2. Stanford 14; 3. Boston College 12; 4. Minnesota 11; 5. Rice 10; 6. (tie) Duke, Northwestern 9; 8. Tulane 7, 9. (tie) Auburn, Michigan, North Carolina 6.
2015 — 1. Notre Dame 17 (9 men’s, 8 women’s); 2. Stanford 15; 3. Northwestern 12; 4. Boston College 10; 5. Duke 9; 6. Minnesota 7; 7. (tie) Arizona State, Tulane, Vanderbilt 7; 10. (tie) Illinois, North Carolina, Penn State, Rice 6.
2014 — 1. Stanford 12; 2. Notre Dame 11 (7 men’s, 4 women’s), 3. Northwestern 10; 4. Minnesota 9; 5. (tie) Boston College, Duke 8; 7. Penn State 7; 8. (tie) Ohio State, Vanderbilt 6.
2013 — 1. Notre Dame 12 (8 men’s, 4 women’s), 2. Stanford 11; 3. Duke 10; 4. (tie) Boston College, Northwestern 9; 6. Vanderbilt 7; 7. Rice 6.
2012 — 1. Notre Dame 12 (8 men’s, 4 women’s); 2. (tie) Boston College, Duke 9; 4. (tie) Northwestern, Vanderbilt 8; 6. Stanford 7; 7. (tie) North Carolina, Rice, Texas 5.
2011 — 1. Duke 10; 2. Notre Dame 9 (5 men’s, 4 women’s); 3. Boston College 6, 4. (tie) Michigan, Northwestern, Penn State, Texas, Tulane, U.S. Naval Academy, Vanderbilt 5.
2010 — 1. Duke 10, 2. Notre Dame 8 (5 men’s, 3 women’s); 3. Boston College 7.
2009 — 1. Notre Dame 9 (4 men’s, 5 women’s); 2. Duke 8; 3. (tie) Boston College, Stanford 6; 5. U.S. Naval Academy 5; 6. Michigan 4.
2008 — 1. (tie) Notre Dame (5 men’s, 3 women’s), Duke 8; 3. Boston College 7; 4. Stanford 5; 5. (tie) Northwestern, Rice, U.S. Naval Academy 4.
2007 — 1. Boston College 10, 2. Notre Dame 9 (5 men’s, 4 women’s); 3. (tie) Rice, Stanford, U.S. Naval Academy 7; 6. Duke 6; 7. Northwestern 5.
2006 — 1. (tie) Notre Dame (7 men’s, 7 women’s), Boston College 14.