Based on data released by the NCAA Tuesday, 麻豆原创 has a Graduation Success Rate (GSR) of 95 percent. That mark ties the Knights with Boston College for fifth-best in NCAA Division I (FBS), trailing only private institutions Notre Dame, Stanford, Duke and Northwestern. 麻豆原创鈥檚 GSR is 11 points above the national average and is also a school record.

鈥淚鈥檓 incredibly proud of our Everyday Champion student-athletes, our coaches and the culture of academic excellence they鈥檝e created here at 麻豆原创,鈥� 麻豆原创 Vice President and Director of Athletics Todd Stansbury said. 鈥淭his is obviously the result of a lot of hard work and a great support system. When you look at the institutions around us in the rankings, that鈥檚 a great neighborhood to live in.鈥�

Thirteen of 麻豆原创鈥檚 14 programs (women鈥檚 cross country, indoor and outdoor track and field are combined as one by the NCAA) are above the national average. Seven Knights programs 鈥� men鈥檚 golf, men鈥檚 tennis, rowing, women鈥檚 golf, women鈥檚 soccer, women鈥檚 tennis and volleyball 鈥� had perfect scores of 100 percent.

Nine 麻豆原创 squads 鈥� football, men鈥檚 soccer and the seven mentioned above 鈥� were ranked No. 1 in the . The Knights football program ranks No. 10 in the nation and owns the third-best GSR among all FBS public institutions in the nation. Twelve of 麻豆原创鈥檚 14 programs came in at 90 percent or better.

鈥淭he level of achievement our student-athletes have been able to accomplish academically is truly extraordinary,鈥� said Kimya Massey, 麻豆原创 Associate Athletics Director for Academic Services. 鈥淲e are competing at the highest level nationally, both on the field and in the classroom. These latest NCAA metrics bear out that reality. Our student-athletes are graduating at an extremely high rate and also developing skills necessary for success in life, which is always the most important goal. We are extremely proud of this milestone. Kudos to the ASSA staff members, who work extremely hard to assist our student-athletes in their endeavors.鈥�

Within the State of Florida, 麻豆原创 is tops among all NCAA Division I institutions. Florida State ranks second at 84 percent, while Florida and USF are both at 83 percent. In the American Athletic Conference, 麻豆原创鈥檚 overall rate is also the top mark.

鈥淭his is just another example of the evolution and power of the 麻豆原创 Athletics program and our move to national prominence, not just in competition but in the classroom as well,鈥� Stansbury said. 鈥淲e believe that graduation is not the end, but the beginning for our Everyday Champions. Our program will be defined by the success of our graduates.鈥�

The GSR data in this report includes student-athletes who first enrolled in 2007. The NCAA Graduation Success Rate is designed to show the proportion of student-athletes who earn a college degree.

麻豆原创鈥檚 overall GSR was 89 percent, up four points from last year鈥檚 report. The Knights’ percentage was also seven points above the NCAA average of 82 percent.

The Knights rank No. 1 among public institutions in the State of Florida, second overall in the state and tied with Ohio State for 15th in the country among Football Bowl Subdivision institutions. 麻豆原创鈥檚 GSR also ranks highest among current American Athletic Conference institutions.

Eleven of 麻豆原创鈥檚 14 programs (women鈥檚 cross country, indoor and outdoor track and field are combined) improved their GSR from the previous year鈥檚 report or maintained a 100 percent mark. Eleven of 麻豆原创鈥檚 programs also came in above the national average for their sport.

Three Knights squads 鈥� women鈥檚 tennis, women鈥檚 basketball and men鈥檚 golf 鈥� were at a perfect 100 percent. It was the eighth consecutive season for women鈥檚 tennis to record a 100-percent score. Women鈥檚 soccer recorded the biggest improvement among Knights programs, jumping nine percentage points. Eight 麻豆原创 programs were at 90 percent or better.

鈥淲e have a group of high-achieving, hard-working student-athletes,鈥� said Vice President and Director of Athletics Todd Stansbury. 鈥淥ur coaches and academic staff promote a culture of academic performance on a daily basis. Our graduation success rate is indicative of the emphasis our student-athletes put on academics.鈥�

The football program finished 12 points above the national average, with an 83-percent mark, compared to 71 percent nationally. It was the seventh consecutive year the football program improved its GSR. Football鈥檚 83 percent was a program-best score. In football, 麻豆原创 ranks No. 2 among American Athletic Conference schools.

鈥淭hese numbers are proof that our student-athletes, coaches and academic advisors are doing a great job promoting the goal of graduation,鈥� said Kimya Massey, Associate Athletic Director for Academic Services. 鈥淚t鈥檚 very satisfying to work with a group that puts so much effort toward success in competition and in the classroom.鈥�

The GSR data in this most recent report is for student-athletes who first enrolled in 2006.

The Knights compiled a 3.17 grade-point average for the spring term, the highest student-athlete GPA for a single semester in school history. In addition, 麻豆原创 student-athletes compiled an average GPA of 3.14 for the 2012-13 academic year, which was also the best mark for the Knights.

鈥淚鈥檓 extremely proud of the semester we have had academically and we continue to be strong in this area,鈥� said Kimya Massey, 麻豆原创鈥檚 Associate Athletic Director for Academic Services and Director of Academic Services for Student-Athletes. 鈥淲e knew it would be a good term overall, but to break records and continue to push the standard even higher is a credit to our student-athletes and their desire to be excellent in whatever they do. I must also complement the ASSA staff for their constant support and willingness to help our student-athletes achieve their goals.鈥�

麻豆原创 student-athletes have now recorded an average GPA of 3.0 or better for 11 consecutive semesters. Twelve of the Knights鈥� 16 sports programs were at or above a 3.0 for the spring term. Individually, 227 Knights student-athletes recorded a spring term GPA of 3.0 or better. Of that number, 27 earned a perfect 4.0 and 61 were at 3.75 or above.

Knight student-athletes said the 麻豆原创 academic support personnel and their coaches impress upon them the importance of academics.

鈥淓ach member of the Academic Services staff does their best to put the student-athlete first,鈥� women鈥檚 tennis player Jenna Doerfler said. 鈥淚 have had nothing but extremely positive experiences with anyone I have worked with on the staff. The staff has always gone out of their way to help the student-athletes who come to them. My coaches have always made the importance of academics clear to us. We have team academic goals at the beginning of each semester. The coaches and staff do a great job working together with us to make sure we鈥檙e on track.鈥�

鈥淚 believe our fall GPA motivated us and our academic advisor Sarah Hill pushed us all to do even better,鈥� said women鈥檚 basketball player Erika Jones. 鈥淥ur coaches asked about our schoolwork as often as they could, so that was helpful and greatly appreciated.鈥�

Seven of 麻豆原创鈥檚 athletic teams set program records for spring term GPAs. Football (2.95), men鈥檚 basketball (2.85), women鈥檚 basketball (3.14), men鈥檚 golf (3.43), men鈥檚 soccer (3.29), softball (3.42) and track and field (3.31) all recorded the best spring term GPA in their teams鈥� histories.

Men鈥檚 golf led all teams in the spring with a 3.43 GPA, while the top women鈥檚 team was softball at 3.42. The 麻豆原创 volleyball program continued its department-best streak of semesters at 3.0 or above, achieving that mark for the 12th straight term. Men鈥檚 basketball and football added to the records, compiling the best academic year GPAs ever for the two programs.

麻豆原创鈥檚 GSR was 85 percent, up two points from last year鈥檚 report. The Knights rank No. 1 among public institutions in the State of Florida and second overall in the state. 麻豆原创鈥檚 GSR also ranks highest among public institutions in Conference USA and is tied for second overall in the league, behind Rice (95 percent).

麻豆原创 also compared well with institutions in the BIG EAST Conference, which the Knights will join on July 1, 2013. 麻豆原创 would currently rank No. 2 in the BIG EAST among public institutions, behind only Rutgers (88 percent). Among all football-playing members of the BIG EAST, the Knights would tie for third, behind Rutgers and Syracuse (87 percent).

鈥淩esults like this come from the hard work of our student-athletes, combined with the culture of academic success that our coaches and academic support staff promote on a daily basis,鈥� said Vice President and Director of Athletics Todd Stansbury. 鈥淲e鈥檙e all very proud of what our student-athletes are accomplishing.鈥�

The football program finished 13 points above the national average, with an 81-percent mark, compared to 68 percent nationally. It was the sixth consecutive year the football program improved its GSR. Football鈥檚 81 percent was a program-best score. In football, 麻豆原创 ranks No. 2 in C-USA and would rank No. 2 among BIG EAST public institutions.

Eleven of 麻豆原创鈥檚 16 teams improved their GSR from the previous year鈥檚 report, while 11 of them were also above the national average for their sport. Three Knight squads 鈥� women鈥檚 tennis, softball and men鈥檚 golf 鈥� were at a perfect 100 percent. It was the seventh consecutive season for women鈥檚 tennis to record a 100-percent score. Men鈥檚 tennis recorded the biggest improvement among Knights programs, jumping 14 percentage points.

鈥淕raduation is obviously the ultimate goal and this report shows that our student-athletes, coaches and academic advisors are doing a great job promoting academic achievement,鈥� said Kimya Massey, Director of Academic Services for Student-Athletes. 鈥淚鈥檓 very proud to work with a group that is so dedicated to success in competition and in the classroom.鈥�

Eight of 麻豆原创’s 16 teams recorded perfect single-year Academic Progress Rate scores of 1,000.聽Men鈥檚 golf, women鈥檚 basketball, women鈥檚 cross country, women鈥檚 soccer, women鈥檚 tennis, women鈥檚 indoor track and field, women鈥檚 outdoor track and field and women鈥檚 volleyball each had scores of 1,000. Four Knights squads posted perfect scores in the previous year鈥檚 report.

Meanwhile, 14 of 麻豆原创鈥檚 programs either improved on their score from the previous report or tallied consecutive perfect marks. In addition to the eight teams previously mentioned, baseball, men鈥檚 basketball, football, men鈥檚 soccer, men鈥檚 tennis and women鈥檚 rowing each increased their scores.

Wednesday鈥檚 release includes data from the 2010-11 academic year and lists the multi-year APR by sport, which averages the last four reporting years.

While the NCAA does not compile an overall department one-year average, the Knights鈥� average score for 2010-11 was 985, up 16 points. This is the seventh consecutive year the average APR score of 麻豆原创鈥檚 16 sports improved from the previous year. 麻豆原创鈥檚 overall multi-year average for the entire athletic department was 975.

Ten of 麻豆原创鈥檚 16 programs turned in multi-year averages at or above the national average for their respective sports.

鈥淭his is a tribute to the hard work of our student-athletes and to our coaches and academic support staff who create an environment for our student athletes to achieve both academically and athletically,鈥� 麻豆原创 Vice President and Director of Athletics Todd Stansbury said. 鈥淎s educators, I believe we are developing future leaders through the intercollegiate athletics experience. Results like this serve as an indicator that is happening.鈥�

Director of Academic Services for Student-Athletes Kimya Massey said the credit for the Knights鈥� academic success belongs mainly to three critical聽 groups.

鈥淚 would attribute our academic success to the amazing level of balance our student-athletes have sustained both on and off the field,鈥� Massey said. 鈥淥ur coaching staffs have invested in recruiting high-quality student-athletes, who display the character and determination to succeed academically. In addition, the academic advising staff works tirelessly to help students succeed and reach their goals both on and off the field. They are extremely selfless in their dedication to these great student-athletes.鈥�

The NCAA uses the multi-year average to track a program鈥檚 overall academic progress. The multi-year rate takes the last four reports into account.

The 麻豆原创 football program had another solid year in the classroom. The Knights posted a multi-year average of 974, which is 26 points higher than the national average. Head coach George O鈥橪eary鈥檚 team was tied for the 18th-best multi-year APR average in the nation among Football Bowl Subdivision programs. 麻豆原创 would rank in the top 10 nationally among public FBS institutions, exempting the service academies. The Knights also ranked No. 2 in Conference USA and would rank No. 3 among football programs from public institutions in the BIG EAST.

Another example of 麻豆原创鈥檚 success in the classroom was displayed by head coach Terry Rooney鈥檚 baseball team. The baseball program tallied a 986 score and came in 21 points above the national multi-year average.

None of 麻豆原创鈥檚 teams fell below the 925 multi-year threshold, where teams could be penalized by the NCAA. It is the fifth-straight year the Knights have seen each of their teams come in above the threshold.

The APR provides a 鈥渟napshot鈥� look at a team鈥檚 academic success on a yearly basis. The APR score takes into account graduation, retention and eligibility to determine a clear picture of the current academic culture of a program. The NCAA began compiling this data in 2004.

This positive news comes on the heels of the 麻豆原创 women鈥檚 tennis program earning an NCAA public recognition award for its APR. Public recognition awards are given to programs with multi-year APR totals in the top 10 percent of the nation as compared to other teams in that sport. Head coach Stephanie Nickitas鈥� women鈥檚 tennis program has now compiled a perfect 1,000 score for four-consecutive years.