Tweet

BLACKSBURG – Five Virginia Tech varsity sports had 100 percent Graduation Success Rates (GSR), according to an NCAA report released Tuesday afternoon.

The Graduation Success Rate was developed by the NCAA as part of its academic reform initiative to better measure of student-athlete academic success. The GSR allows student-athletes six years to earn their degree. This year’s rate is based on student-athletes who entered college in the fall of 2007, the most recent data available. The rate shows the percentage of those student-athletes who earned a degree by the spring of 2013. The four-year cohort of student-athletes who began college in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007 is also included.

Virginia Tech’s varsity sports combined for a four-class average (2004-07) of 88 percent in the GSR.

At Tech, the men’s golf, softball, women’s soccer, women’s swimming and women’s tennis programs all recorded a GSR of 100. The women’s soccer and women’s tennis programs recorded a 100 percent rate for the 10^th straight year. The men’s golf program recorded a 100 percent rate for the sixth consecutive year and the softball program for the fourth straight year. The women’s swimming and diving program recorded a 100 percent rate for the second straight year.

In football, the Hokies had a GSR of 74, which ranked eighth among current ACC members. The national average for Football Bowl Subdivision schools is 75 percent – an all-time high.

In men’s basketball, the Hokies recorded a GSR of 82, which was tied for sixth among current league members. Tech’s percentage was eight points above the national average.

Five other sports at Tech finished with a GSR of 90 or higher – women’s basketball (91), men’s track and field/cross country (93), lacrosse (96), women’s track and field/cross country (93) and volleyball (91). The baseball and the men’s tennis programs were at 88 percent, while the men’s soccer program and men’s swimming and diving programs were at 86 and 83 percent, respectively.

The GSR holds institutions accountable for transfer students, unlike the federal graduation rate, and the GSR also accounts for mid-year enrollees and is calculated for every sport. Under the calculation, institutions are not penalized for outgoing transfer students who leave in good academic standing. The outgoing transfers are included in the receiving institution’s GSR cohort.

For updates on Virginia Tech Athletics, follow the Hokies on Twitter Follow @hokiesports