EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - SIUE sits atop all NCAA Division I athletic programs for Graduation Success Rates (GSR), ranking #1 nationally among public institutions in the annual report released by the NCAA on Wednesday. In the metric that tracks academic success among Division I student-athletes, SIUE is tied for first among public institutions and tied for 17th nationally.
The GSR for SIUE student-athletes in the cohort is 97 overall. Seven SIUE programs earned a perfect score of 100 in the latest Graduation Success Rate (GSR) figures, with baseball, golf, men's cross country/track, women's soccer, softball, tennis and volleyball each earning a perfect score.
"This is a historic accomplishment for our University and our athletics department! We have a long history of academic success, but we have had our eyes on the top spot nationally," said Andrew Gavin, Vice Chancellor / Director of Athletics. "We are thrilled to celebrate our current and former student-athletes who contributed to this metric and inspire us with their hard work and excellence. We are so appreciative of our student-athlete success staff, under the leadership of Deputy AD Jaci Declue. I also applaud our coaches that prioritize the academic experience of our student-athletes."
The top 16 institutions nationally in GSR are all private, including schools from conferences such as The Ivy League, the Big East Conference, and the Big Ten Conference.
SIUE also ranks first among all institutions in the Ohio Valley Conference and only Northwestern University has a higher score statewide.
"This national ranking is a reflection of who we are as a university community. It is not possible to achieve this level of success without dedicated faculty, coaches and staff members all working to ensure that our student-athletes graduate," said Chancellor James T. Minor, Ph.D. "Graduating is a part of what it means to be a student-athlete here. Watching our student-athletes cross the commencement stage will always be the most significant victory for us as an institution."
National GSR Rankings
1. Columbia, The Ivy League – 99
Cornell, The Ivy League – 99
Harvard, The Ivy League – 99
Marquette, Big East – 99
Northwestern, Big Ten – 99
Notre Dame, ACC – 99
San Francisco, West Coast – 99
Yale, The Ivy League – 99
9. Colgate, Patriot League – 98
Davidson, Atlantic 10 – 98
Hofstra, Coastal Athletic Association, 98
Penn, The Ivy League – 98
Princeton, The Ivy League – 98
Richmond, Atlantic 10 – 98
Seton Hall, Big East – 98
Villanova, Big East – 98
17. SIUE, Ohio Valley – 97
State of Illinois GSR Rankings
1. Northwestern – 99
2. SIUE – 97
Bradley – 97
Loyola – 95
Illinois State – 92
Illinois – 91
UIC – 91
Eastern Illinois – 89
SIU Carbondale – 89
Western Illinois – 87
Ohio Valley Conference GSR Rankings
1. SIUE – 97
2. Little Rock – 89
Eastern Illinois – 89
SEMO – 88
Tennessee Tech – 87
Western Illinois – 85
UT Martin – 84
Tennessee State – 81
Morehead State – 79
