Syracuse Remains Among Nation's Elite Programs in Graduation Success Rate

The success continues for Syracuse University student-athletes in the classroom. For the third year, Syracuse University Athletics ranks in the top five among Power 5 schools’ Graduation Success Rate (GSR) scores. Syracuse’s 94% GSR is tied for the fifth highest score among Power 5 schools, and the Orange are one of 22 Power 5 schools nationally to score 94% or higher.

Syracuse’s 94% GSR is above the national GSR of 90%, and the Orange are one of eight Atlantic Coast Conference schools to achieve a 94% or better.

“Congratulations to our Syracuse University student-athletes for excelling in both their academic programs of study and their athletic endeavors, a demanding balancing act,” says Faculty Athletics Representative Mary Graham, professor of sport management in the Falk College. “Their graduation rate success is also a testament to the hard work of the entire athletics department and a robust academic support staff led by Assistant Provost Tommy Powell and Katie Scanlon, director of academic support in the Stevenson Educational Center.”

For the fourth consecutive year, more than half of Syracuse’s 20 teams achieved a perfect 100% score, with 11 teams hitting that mark. The 11 teams include field hockey, women’s tennis, women’s volleyball, men’s cross country, men’s track and field, men’s lacrosse, women’s rowing, men’s and women’s soccer, softball and women’s basketball. This year also marks the 10th in a row that more than six teams have hit the 100% score. GSR measurement reflects Orange student-athletes who enrolled in 2016-17 and earned their degrees within six years.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) started measuring GSR, including those who entered midyear and student-athletes who transferred into the institution in 2004.

• Women’s tennis and volleyball programs achieved a perfect 100% for the 12th consecutive year, the longest active streak in the athletics department.
• The volleyball program has 14 perfect GSR scores in 19 years of the metric, which is the most of any program at Syracuse.
• The Orange men’s cross country and track & field teams have scored a perfect 100% for ten years in a row, and the 12th time in the 19 years.
• Women’s rowing and men’s lacrosse teams have a six-year streak of perfect scores.
• The women’s basketball team has posted a perfect score in each of the last five years.
• Men’s and women’s soccer have a four-year perfect score streak.
• The women’s soccer program has produced 11 perfect GSR scores.

“In the dynamic landscape of higher education and collegiate sports, the enduring power of a Syracuse University education stands out,” says Assistant Provost Tommy Powell. “It equips our student-athletes with the tools to excel professionally and make significant contributions. Witnessing their journey from eager first-year students to graduates ready to make a positive mark on the world has been an honor and a testament to the transformative impact of our academic programs.”

The NCAA instituted the GSR to more accurately reflect college students’ mobility compared to the Federal Graduation Rate. The federal rate counts any student who leaves a school as an academic failure, whether or not the student enrolls at another school. The federal rate also does not consider students who enter as transfer students. The GSR formula provides a more complete and accurate picture by removing student-athletes who leave school while academically eligible and including student-athletes who transfer to a school after being enrolled at another university.