CHICAGO (Dec. 6, 2023) – For the second consecutive year, the UIC Department of Athletics equaled a school record by registering an overall NCAA Graduation Success Rate (GSR) of 93 percent in the latest report, with eight of the Flames' 18 programs earning a perfect 100 percent score. This marks the eighth consecutive year UIC has raised or matched its student-athlete graduation rate (from 82 percent in 2016 to 93 percent the past two years).
"The sustained academic excellence of our 300 Flames student-athletes is truly exceptional," said UIC Director of Athletics Michael Lipitz. "It's a clear reflection of their commitment and the enthusiasm with which they pursue academic endeavors on a daily basis. We also salute the commitment of our administration, faculty, coaches and academic support team in helping our student-athletes earn their degrees and prepare for their lives after college."
The eight UIC athletics programs that recorded 100 percent graduation rates last year were women's basketball, women's cross country/track & field, women's golf, women's soccer, women's swimming & diving, men's tennis, women's tennis, and volleyball.
This marks the 13th consecutive year the Flames volleyball team has graduated 100 percent of its student-athletes. It is also the fifth year in a row that the UIC women's soccer, women's swimming & diving and women's tennis squads recorded a perfect graduation rate.
Two other UIC programs — men's cross country/track & field and softball — checked in with graduation rates of 90 percent or better.
"Academic success at UIC is our highest priority and a source of tremendous pride for our department," said Karen Dixon, associate athletics director for academic services. "Our Flames student-athletes are committed to excellence, both in their sport and in the classroom. They receive incredible support in pursuit of those goals and are poised to achieve the highest degree of success in everything they do."
The latest NCAA GSR announcement comes on the heels of another impressive academic year for UIC Athletics in 2022-23 with a 3.32 department-wide grade-point average (GPA), which marks the 18th consecutive semester that Flames student-athletes combined to post a 3.0 GPA or better. In addition, nearly all UIC programs achieved a 3.0 team GPA or better, led by women's tennis (3.65), women's golf (3.56) and men's tennis (3.53). More than one-third of all UIC student-athletes (131) also earned Dean's List honors last spring, with 64 registering a perfect 4.0 GPA.
In September, the Missouri Valley Conference recognized 177 UIC student-athletes with a place on the MVC Honor Roll (3.2 GPA or higher), including 77 who received the MVC Commissioner's Academic Excellence Award (3.5 GPA or higher) and seven who garnered the league's highest academic achievement, the MVC Board of Directors Academic Excellence Award (3.8 GPA or higher).
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 percent, 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.
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