SDSU Athletics Reports 2005-06 Academic Progress Rate

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SAN DIEGO (Thursday April 19, 2007) - San Diego State showed significant improvement in the 2005-06 Academic Progress Rate scores released earlier this week by the NCAA. Of SDSU’s 18 intercollegiate sports, 13 improved their APR score from the same report a year ago.

In addition, San Diego State’s request for a conditional waiver for penalties to the football program based on earlier APR scores has been granted by the NCAA. The ruling means that the Aztec football program will no longer be penalized with the loss of athletic scholarships.

“It is our intention to forge an athletic program at San Diego State that reflects the overall excellence of our University,” SDSU President Stephen L. Weber said. “Our students, faculty and staff work hard to forge a quality learning environment; we want our athletic program to offer a similar environment for our student-athletes. I am encouraged by these latest results that we are making progress toward that goal.”

The APR rating is assigned to a sport program and is based on eligibility/graduation and retention. Each student-athlete accrues two, one or zero points per semester. If a student-athlete is in good academic standing, including on-schedule progress toward a degree, and if they are enrolled, the sport receives two points. If the student-athlete is meeting one and not the other component, the program receives one point and if neither is achieved, the program receives a zero. The score is calculated by dividing the total points received by the total points possible.

Teams with an APR score below 925 are subject to contemporaneous penalties.

For the 2005-06 report, three programs received an overall perfect score of 1,000. Women’s golf, women’s soccer and women’s tennis received every point possible for the academic year. SDSU’s women’s cross country program received recognition for ranking among the top 10 percent nationally.

Six programs earned a perfect score in the eligibility/graduation category in this year’s report. Women’s basketball, women’s golf, softball, women’s soccer, men’s tennis and women’s tennis received perfect mark in that category. Additionally, six programs were credited with perfect marks in the area of retention. They were women’s cross country, women’s golf, women’s soccer, women’s tennis, women’s indoor track and outdoor track.

"We are very pleased with the improvement San Diego State has made in the APR,” SDSU athletic director Jeff Schemmel said. “It is a direct result of the support and financial commitment of President Weber to our academic initiatives, and the leadership and great work of (SDSU director of student-athlete academic support services) Colleen Evans and her staff. This reinforces our commitment and energizes us to redouble our efforts to graduate all our student-athletes."

For the 2004-05 reporting year, five SDSU programs were below the 925 score, although only two programs – baseball and football received contemporaneous penalties. Of those five programs, three improved their score above the threshold, with women’s basketball (908 previous multiyear score to 929 current multiyear score), women’s golf (895 to 933) and volleyball (923 to 936) making significant improvements.

"We have made significant APR improvement from a year ago," Evans said. "We went from five teams below the APR cutoff score last year to two this year. It all begins with Jeff’s leadership, the coaches’ commitment and their cooperation with the academic staff. The head coaches of our sport teams should be commended for these positive outcomes. The coaches and athletics administration here are fully committed to the academic success of our student-athletes."

Only two programs remain below the APR cutoff number. Football showed dramatic improvement, increasing its multiyear score from 867 to 888, on the strength of a 929 in retention in 2005-06. The improvement in their score this season was a major reason the NCAA granted SDSU’s appeal and the program will no longer be penalized. The other program below the cutoff line is baseball (872).

San Diego State University is the oldest and largest higher education institution in the San Diego region. Since it was founded in 1897, the university has grown to offer bachelor's degrees in 81 areas, master's degrees in 73 areas and doctorates in 16 areas. SDSU's more than 34,000 students participate in an academic curriculum distinguished by direct contact with faculty and an increasing international emphasis that prepares them for a global future. For more information, visit www.sdsu.edu.

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