Lamar University student-athletes recorded a 79-percent graduation success rate (GSR) in the most recent cohort (2013-19), an improvement of one point from the previous six-year cohort announced the NCAA Tuesday afternoon.
LU served as an important part of the NCAA’s improving GSR numbers across the board – a stat which saw nine out of 10 student athletes who started college in 2013 earn degrees. That number represents the highest rate ever and an increase of one percent over students who entered school in 2012.
All 17 of LU’s varsity sports achieved a GSR higher than that of the federal graduation rate, including five sports – men’s and women’s golf, women’s basketball, soccer and softball – who posted a 100 percent during the cohort.
“In the world of collegiate athletics, the headlines are dominated by wins and losses, but at the end of the day we’re in the business of graduating student-athletes,” said LU Director of Athletics Marco Born. “That is our ultimate benchmark for success as a department. We’re proud to play a part in the NCAA’s ever improving GSR numbers on a national level. I applaud the achievements of our student-athletes, and our staff who work so diligently to assist them in their progress toward a degree. We will always support our student-athletes as they continue to be champions in the classroom, competition arena and in life.”
The NCAA Division I Board of Directors created the GSR in 2002 in response to Division I college and university presidents who wanted data that more accurately reflected the mobility of college students beyond what the federal graduation rate measures.
It’s been almost 25 years since the NCAA first began collecting and publishing student-athlete graduation rates and in every report except for the first two, the data has reflected that student-athletes graduation rates surpass those of the general student body. During that time, the NCAA has continued to refine the collection process by which rates are calculated in order to provide more accurate information.