Montana improves Federal Graduation Success Rate
10/28/2010 12:00:00 AM | General
The University of Montana Department of Athletics jumped up 11 percentage points in the latest NCAA Graduation Success Rate (GSR) report that was released Wednesday. Using the federal graduation rate for UM???s incoming freshmen student-athletes from fall 2003, Montana had a success rate of 63 percent, which was up from 52 percent for UM???s 2002 incoming class.
The federal graduation rate measures the success rate of student-athletes who received some level of athletic aid during their first year of enrollment. The student-athletes must graduate from Montana within a six-year window of their initial college enrollment to be counted as successful.
Among Montana???s athletic programs, the women???s track team led the department with a graduation rate of 77 percent.
The department???s percentage was higher than the campus???s rate as a whole for the entering class in 2003 of 44 percent. Further, Montana???s success rate of 63 percent matched Eastern Washington for second among the nine Big Sky Conference schools. Northern Colorado led the league at 72 percent.
???We take great pride in the academic achievements of our student-athletes,??? Senior Associate Athletic Director Jean Gee, who oversees student services and compliance, said. ???We are especially pleased with the 11% improvement in our federal graduation rate. Our ultimate goal in Grizzly Athletics is to graduate our students, and these numbers show our commitment to that goal.???
In another measure released in the report, the NCAA???s GSR, Montana achieved a score of 72 percent. The GSR, unlike the federal rate, includes transfers. In addition, the GSR rewards schools for those students who leave the institution without graduating, as long as they meet all academic eligibility requirements.
