Oct. 5, 2009

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame ranks among the top five NCAA Division I institutions in the country in combining athletic and academic achievement, according to the annual rankings released Monday by the National Collegiate Scouting Association in Chicago.

Notre Dame ranked fourth (in a tie with Harvard) among NCAA Division I universities and 12th overall in the annual NCSA Collegiate Power Rankings, trailing only Stanford, Princeton and Duke in the Division I standings.

The NCSA Collegiate Power Rankings assess the academic and athletics standards of all NCAA and NAIA athletic programs across the country. Rankings are calculated for each college and university at the NCAA Division I, II and III levels by averaging the academic rankings from U.S. News & World Report, the strength of the athletic departments by the NACDA U.S. Sports Academy Directors’ Cup ranking, plus each school’s student-athlete graduation rate.

In the 2009 ratings, Notre Dame finished 21st in athletics, 18th in academic rank and 31st in NCAA graduation rank, for an average 23.33 power ranking.

This marks the sixth straight year Notre Dame has finished fifth or better in the NCSA rankings. Here are standings from those six years:

2009: 1. Stanford 8.66, 2. Princeton 15.0, 3. Duke 20.33, 4. (tie) Notre Dame and Harvard 23.33.
2008: 1. Stanford 10.66, 2. Duke 14.66, 3. Princeton 21.33, 4. Harvard 21.66, 5. Notre Dame 23.66.
2007: 1. Duke 11.66, 2. Notre Dame 18.33, 3. Stanford 20.66, 4. Northwestern 21.66, 5. Harvard 26.33.
2006: 1. Duke 11.33, 2. Stanford 13.0, 3. Notre Dame 15.0, 4. Princeton 16.66, 5. Harvard 24.0.
2005: 1. Duke 8.66, 2. Stanford 13.0, 3. Princeton 15.0, 4. Harvard 15.33, 5. Notre Dame 22.33.

— ND —