UCLA Athletics has maintained a Graduation Success Rate (GSR) of 86% – a rate two percentage points higher than the national average of 84% for Division I schools.
The 2016 GSR cohort is based on scholarship student-athletes who entered college as freshmen or transfers in the 2006-07 through 2009-10 classes.
Six Bruin squads – men's water polo, women's basketball, women's golf, softball, women's tennis and women's volleyball - had a GSR of 100 percent. Sixteen of UCLA's 20 sports programs had a GSR of 80 percent or higher, and 11 of the 20 sports were at 90 percent or higher.
UCLA's overall GSR is 86%, and the football team has the second-highest GSR among conference schools with 88%. The national average for FBS schools is 74%.
"UCLA Athletics is universally recognized as one of the premier programs in the country due not only to our commitment to broad-based excellence across all sports, but because of the lofty academic expectations we hold for our student-athletes," said UCLA Athletic Director Dan Guerrero. "Year-in, year-out, our student-athletes not only meet these expectations, they almost always exceed them. While this is undoubtedly a testament to their work ethic, it is also a testament to the support they receive from their academic advisors, tutors, coaches, family and fellow teammates. UCLA prides itself on breaking barriers while developing leaders of tomorrow, which is why a win on the field, court or in the pool is every bit as meaningful as the moment our student-athletes accept that diploma with a handshake and a hug from their coaches in June."
The GSR is the NCAA's more comprehensive calculation of student-athlete academic success. The NCAA rate is more accurate than the federally-mandated methodology because it is more inclusive of the total student-athlete population. The GSR includes incoming transfers and students enrolling in the winter or spring quarters who receive athletics aid.
Student-athletes who leave an institution academically and athletically eligible to compete are removed from their respective cohorts. If former student-athletes return within their six-year window to make progress towards their degree, however, they are subsequently included back into the cohort. As a result, sports which have a higher level of attrition due to professional drafts may see their GSR lowered when a former student-athlete returns to pursue his or her degree. For example, within this cohort, baseball (10); men's basketball, men's golf and men's soccer (1 each), had former student-athletes return to UCLA to pursue their education within their six-year window, significantly lowering those team's respective GSRs.
Regardless of impact on GSR, UCLA remains committed to ensuring that every student-athlete has an opportunity to earn their degree, be it within or outside of their six-year window.