Penn State football is headed back in the right direction in the classroom as well as on the field according to the latest APR numbers released by the NCAA.
APR, or the Academic Progress Rate is a multi-year figure used to gauge an athletic program’s ability to move student athletes toward graduation successfully and on a consistent basis.
The NCAA defines the calculation of that number as follows:
Each student-athlete receiving athletically related financial aid earns one point for staying in school and one point for being academically eligible. A team’s total points are divided by points possible and multiplied by 1,000 to produce the team’s APR. A 930 APR predicts about a 50 percent graduation rate. Teams falling below an APR of 930 face sanctions ranging from practice-time reductions to more severe penalties.
“We are proud of our many academic successes and I applaud our highly-motivated student-athletes, coaches, the Morgan Academic Center staff and faculty for their dedicated efforts,” said athletic director Sandy Barbour. “We are focused, though, on our work ahead. We will not rest until we reach our goals of having all 31 programs with 100 percent graduation rates and perfect APR scores. We have dedicated ICA staff and members of the Penn State community striving every day to provide the best possible support and conditions for our student-athletes to succeed academically and after they graduate. Our students and our community deserve our very best effort, every day.”
Penn State’s score this year reflects the conclusion of the 2013-14 academic year with the Nittany Lions earning the mark of 956 which is essentially the national average.
More importantly, the latest score is a two point improvement over the previously released figures and the first upward trend in the APR score for Penn State football since hitting a 10-year peak in 2007-08 with a mark of 976. The score had continued to decline on an annual basis since that year.
NCAA sanctions had a lot to do with that decline though. Transfers hurt the team’s overall APR score as it is seen as a negative in the advancement of a student athlete’s educational path. With a few dozen departures over the past several years thanks to NCAA sanctions, Penn State’s APR score has taken a hit.
While the downward trend was not entirely the result of true academic neglect by Penn State athletics as an institution, fans and administrators alike will undoubtedly be pleased to see the new upward trend. Penn State has long promoted its athletic department as an academic beacon in a sports-first world.
And to be fair, with six Penn State teams reporting multi-year perfect APR scores of 1,000 and the athletic department as a whole posting a 984 figure (six points above the national average), the overall picture looks fairly good.
Popular Stories:
Penn State Condemns Kappa Delta Rho, Banishes Frat for Three Years
Affidavit Alleges Judge Texted DA During Trial
State College Man Tasered Twice During Arrest
Commissioners Remove Judges From County Phone Plan
State High Thespians Rock Theatre Awards
Sleepovers: A Blast from the Past
