CHICAGO – Flames student-athletes achieved a school record 93% graduation rate in the most recent release of academic success data by the NCAA. A two-point increase over last year's record of 91%, it marks the seventh-consecutive year that UIC has raised its student-athlete graduation rate (from 82% in 2016 to 93% this year).
 
"Academic achievement is a point of pride for UIC student-athletes, who are as competitive in the classroom as they are in competition," said Director of Athletics Michael Lipitz. "Their collective academic success in recent years is truly remarkable. Special thanks to our faculty, coaches, and academic services staff for their collective support."
 
Eight Flames teams posted perfect 100% graduation rates:  volleyball, men's tennis, women's tennis, women's soccer, women's golf, women's cross country and track & field, women's basketball, and women's swimming and diving. For volleyball, this marks 12 consecutive years graduating 100% of its student-athletes. Women's soccer, women's swimming and diving, and women's tennis each notched perfect results for the fourth straight year.
 
UIC softball and men's swimming and diving also posted strong graduation rates, with both programs recording a 94% graduation rate.
 
This fall's graduation rate announcement follows a spring semester in which UIC student-athletes combined to record a 3.27 GPA, the 16th consecutive semester above a 3.0 for the Flames. One-in-three (106) of UIC's 300 student-athletes earned Dean's List honors with GPAs of 3.5 or higher, while 66 recorded perfect 4.0 GPAs. The Flames tennis programs burned brightest in the classroom last spring, with the men's squad earning a 3.64 GPA and the women's squad leading all UIC teams with a 3.88 GPA.
 
"These incredible GSR numbers are a direct result of the continued dedication and commitment of our student-athletes, coaches, administration, and the entire UIC campus community," said Karen Dixon, Associate Athletics Director for Academic Services. "I am tremendously proud of our Flames student-athletes and the championship mindset they bring to their academic pursuits every day."
 
What is the Graduation Success Rate (GSR)?
The NCAA developed the Graduation Success Rate (GSR) in 2002 to more fully reflect the academic achievement of student-athletes.
 
The traditional Federal Graduation Rate (FGR) compiled by the U.S. Department of Education is used as an indicator of academic success for all college students.  For student-athletes, it measures the cohort of first-time, full-time freshman on athletics aid who enter in the fall semester and graduate within six years of entering their original four-year institution.  UIC's Federal Graduation Rate (FGR) for student-athletes is 77%, which is 15 percent higher than UIC's general student population.
 
Calculation of the GSR begins with the cohort the federal methodology identifies, but additionally includes student-athletes the federal rate omits -- (1) incoming transfer student-athletes who receive athletics aid, and (2) freshmen on athletics aid who enroll at midyear rather than in fall.  The GSR also does not penalize colleges whose student-athletes transfer in good academic standing, as those student-athletes are effectively moved into the cohort of the destination colleges.