BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Samford University's athletics teams posted an impressive 98 in the NCAA's latest Graduation Success Rate (GSR) Report, released Wednesday afternoon. Samford had the highest score among state schools, the highest in the Southern Conference and the second highest among all 351 Division I schools.
The university has a long history of performing at a high level for its combination of excellence in both academics and athletic competition and has consistently earned an overall GSR score of above 90 percent since 2012.
The NCAA Division I Committee on Academic Performance implemented the initial release of the GSR in 2005 to more accurately assess the academic success of student-athletes. The most recent GSR is for the years 2014-15 through 2017-18.
Twelve of Samford's teams earned perfect scores of 100 percent. The Bulldog baseball, men's basketball, men's cross country/track, men's golf, men's tennis, women's basketball, women's cross country/track, women's golf, women's soccer, softball, women's tennis and volleyball teams all registered perfect scores. Every Samford team was at or above the national average in the report.
The NCAA developed the Division I Graduation Success Rate in response to college and university presidents who wanted graduation data that more accurately reflect the mobility among all college students today. The graduation-rate data are based on a six-year cohort prescribed by the U.S. Department of Education.
Samford competes in 17 NCAA Division I sports in the historic Southern Conference.
SAMFORD SPORTS BREAKDOWN
- Overall – 98
- Baseball – 100
- Men's Basketball – 100
- Football – 92
- Men's Golf – 100
- Men's Tennis – 100
- Men's Track/XC – 100
- Women's Basketball – 100
- Women's Golf – 100
- Softball – 100
- Soccer – 100
- Women's Tennis – 100
- Women's Track/XC – 100
- Volleyball – 100
SOUTHERN CONFERENCE RANKINGS
- Samford – 98
- Furman – 96
- UNCG – 95
- Mercer – 94
- Wofford – 94
- VMI – 88
- The Citadel – 86
- Western – 86
- ETSU – 84
- Chattanooga – 83
STATE OF ALABAMA COMPARISON
- Samford – 98
- Alabama – 96
- Auburn – 94
- UAB – 93
- South Alabama – 90
- Jax State – 88
- Troy – 86
- Alabama State – 79
- Alabama A&M – 77
- North Alabama – 76
