The
Academic Progress Rate, sometimes also known as
Academic Performance Rating[1] and generally abbreviated as APR, is a metric established by the
NCAA to indicate the success of collegiate athletic teams in moving student athletes towards graduation[
citation needed]. It was instituted in February
2005[
citation needed]. In its first season of usage, three sports -
football,
basketball, and
baseball - posted average APR scores below the NCAA-determined minimum level.
Collegiate sports teams that fail to achieve an APR score of 925 - equivalent to a 50% graduation rate - may be penalized with the loss of
scholarships. A perfect score is 1000. The scores are calculated as follows:
The APR is calculated by allocating points for eligibility and retention -- the two factors that research identifies as the best indicators of graduation. Each player on a given roster earns a maximum of two points per term, one for being academically eligible and one for staying with the institution. A team's APR is the total points of a team's roster at a given time divided by the total points possible. Since this results in a decimal number, the CAP decided to multiply it by 1,000 for ease of reference. Thus, a raw APR score of .925 translates into the 925 that will become the standard terminology.[1]
The NCAA does adjust APR, on a student-by-student basis, in two circumstances—when a player transfers to another school with a sufficiently high
GPA, or leaves for a professional sports career while still in good academic standing. In the 2010–11 cycle, the NCAA granted nearly 700 APR adjustments in the latter category, out of a total of over 6,400 Division I teams. Nearly half of the adjustments were for baseball players.
[2]
The first penalties under the APR system were scheduled to be announced in December 2005. Starting with the 2008–09 academic year, bans from postseason competition were added to the penalty structure. The most severe penalty available is a one-year suspension of NCAA membership, which has not yet been assessed as of 2010–11.
[3]
Prior to 2010–11, only four teams had received postseason bans. The results of the NCAA's APR report for that year, which covered 2006–07 through 2009–10, saw eight teams receive that penalty—five in men's basketball and three in football. Most notably,
Southern became the first school ever to receive APR-related postseason bans in two sports. The highest-profile penalty in that year's cycle was handed down to
defending NCAA men's basketball champion Connecticut. The Huskies lost two scholarships for the
2011–12 season due to APR violations.
[3]
The APR is designed to measure semester-by-semester academic progress, and is separate from the Graduation Success Rate (GSR), which reflects only the percentage of student athletes who graduate, thus omitting students who would have graduated but left school early for non-academic reasons (such as a professional career).
