CLEMSON, S.C. — Four Clemson programs were honored for outstanding academic achievement as part of the NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) Public Recognition Awards on Tuesday. Baseball, football, men’s cross country and women’s golf each earned recognition as ranking in the top 10 percent of their sport in the eligibility, graduation and retention metric.
This marks the fourth straight academic year in which at least four Clemson programs have earned APR awards.
“Our student-athletes continue to work hard in the classroom, and this year’s recognitions are an indicator of that commitment,” Director of Athletics Dan Radakovich said. “We are grateful for our coaches, advisors, professors and others, who continue to enable our student-athletes to receive tremendous education and professional development opportunities.”
All four programs honored are in the midst of an active run of three or more consecutive years earning APR recognition, with women’s golf leading the way (six), followed by men’s cross country (four), baseball (four) and football (three).
The football program has earned nine selections in the last 10 years, and in both the 2016 and 2018 National Championship seasons. Clemson is one of only two FBS schools to earn APR awards in both football and baseball for the 2018-19 academic year (Northwestern), and baseball is one of just six Power Five programs nationally to earn the recognition.
Football’s run of nine NCAA APR Public Recognition Awards in the last 10 years is tied for the second-most of any FBS program in that span. Only 37 of the 130 FBS teams have earned at least one NCAA APR Public Recognition Award in the last 10 years, and only 30 of them have earned multiple. Clemson, Duke and Northwestern are the only ones to earn it in at least nine of the last 10 years. Clemson is one of only six FBS programs with an active streak earning APR Public Recognition Awards in each of the last three academic years, a group that also includes Air Force, Boston College, Navy, Northwestern and Washington.
Each year, the NCAA honors selected NCAA Division I sports teams by publicly recognizing their latest multiyear NCAA Division I Academic Progress Rate. This announcement is part of the overall Division I academic reform effort and is intended to highlight teams that demonstrate a commitment to academic progress and retention of student-athletes by achieving the top APRs within their respective sports. Specifically, these teams posted multi-year APRs in the top 10 percent of all squads in each sport.
The NCAA will release the full APR report featuring all 2018-19 scores on May 19. The APR measures eligibility, graduation and retention each semester or academic term and provides a clear picture of the academic performance for each team in every sport. All teams must meet an academic threshold of 930 to qualify for the postseason and can face penalties for continued low academic performance.
