University of Oklahoma Athletics
OU Once Again Scores Well in NCAA APR
May 27, 2015 | Athletics
NORMAN — The NCAA released Academic Progress Rate data for member institutions Wednesday and the University of Oklahoma once again ranked among the top schools in the nation in academic performance. Fifteen of OU's 21 athletics programs boasted a multi-year (four-year average) APR score above the NCAA Division I national average, including football and men's and women's basketball.
All sport programs at OU earned a multi-year APR score at least 28 points above the minimum 930 after the 2013-14 academic year. The latest report marks the fifth consecutive year that all OU Athletics programs have finished above the NCAA minimum APR threshold.
During the 2013-14 academic year, 11 different OU programs recorded a perfect 1,000 annual APR score, tied with Texas for the most in the Big 12 among the 21 sports that OU sponsors. Those Sooner programs are men's and women's gymnastics, men's and women's tennis, women's basketball, women's cross country, women's golf, rowing, softball, volleyball and wrestling.
Women's golf, women's gymnastics and women's tennis all led the Big 12 in their respective sports with their perfect multi-year APR scores of 1,000.
"While our individual athletics programs continue to achieve great success on the playing surface, our ultimate goal is the graduation of our student-athletes," said OU Vice President and Director of Athletics Joe Castiglione. "The latest APR data reflects the continued improvement of our student-athletes in the classroom and is a testament to the hard work and motivation they display every day. The dedication of our coaches and our academic staff is also to be applauded."
The OU football program once again exceeded the national FBS average, producing a 963 multi-year APR score to place it second among Big 12 institutions behind Kansas State (976). Oklahoma football has ranked third or better in APR among Big 12 schools for nine consecutive years.
OU's volleyball (995), rowing (993), softball (987), men's tennis (979) and wrestling (958) programs ranked third in the Big 12 in multi-year APR for their respective sports. Women's basketball registered a 981 multi-year score while men's basketball posted a 969, both exceeding the national average for those sports.
The APR provides a real-time look at a team's academic success each semester by tracking the academic progress of each student-athlete on scholarship. The APR accounts for eligibility, retention and graduation and provides a measure of each team's academic performance.
