Sooners Earn Highest Student-Athlete Graduation Success Rate In Program History

The University of Oklahoma earned its highest student-athlete Graduation Success Rate ever, according to information released Tuesday by the NCAA.

Oklahoma has achieved record improvement in its Graduation Success Rate in the last six years, jumping from 71 percent to 85 percent. Tuesday's NCAA report reflects a four-year average of freshmen who enrolled in 2006-07 through 2009-10.

OU's 85-percent success rate exceeds the Division I student-athlete national average of 84 percent.

Seven Oklahoma programs registered a 100-percent Graduation Success Rate for the reporting period: men's gymnastics, men's tennis, women's basketball, women's gymnastics, rowing, women's tennis and volleyball.

OU athletics programs with multi-year streaks of a 100-percent Graduation Success Rate are women's tennis (nine years), men's tennis (eight), women's basketball (six), rowing (all four years of the team's existence at OU) and women's gymnastics and volleyball (three each).

The Graduation Success Rate for 14 of 17 of Oklahoma's intercollegiate athletics programs either increased or held steady.

"Once again, we're proud of the continued academic achievement and progress of our athletics program," said OU Vice President and Director of Athletics Joe Castiglione. "The real credit goes to the student-athletes who make it a priority to finish their degree along with preparing themselves for life beyond athletics. I also would like to recognize the commitment of our coaches and academic support staff in ensuring that our student-athletes maintain those priorities as they work toward graduation. We're very pleased with another record Graduation Success Rate and will continue to work every day to create a world-class student-athlete experience."

The OU football program's Graduation Success Rate has improved by 17 percentage points the last two years to a program-record 76 percent this year (was 59 percent in 2014 report). Football's GSR also exceeds the FBS average of 74 percent.

Including the spring 2016 semester, OU student-athletes have registered a cumulative GPA above 3.00 for a record nine consecutive semesters. That cumulative GPA reflects the overall academic performance of those student-athletes from their first semester of collegiate enrollment through the completion of the spring 2016 term.