University of Tennessee Athletics
UTAD Posts Highest Graduation Success Rate
October 28, 2014 | General
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- The University of Tennessee department of athletics announced Tuesday a graduation success rate (GSR) of 78 percent for student-athletes who entered the university from 2004-05 through 2007-08, the highest ever GSR for UT Athletics. The 78 percent rate also marks a three percent increase over the last cohort's rate of 75 percent (for student-athletes who entered from 2003-04 through 2006-07).
Four Tennessee teams posted a GSR of 100, including women's basketball, rowing, softball, and volleyball, and all four tied for the conference lead with their perfect 100 GSR rates. Of the 16 UT programs, 13 either increased or equaled their previous graduation rates.
"We continue to see a focused priority on academic achievement from our student-athletes, coaches, and staff," said Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Dave Hart. "That focus is resulting in record levels of success in graduation rates, cumulative GPAs and APR scores."
The nine Tennessee programs that improved their rates from the previous cohort are men's basketball (60% to 70%), men's swimming and diving (60% to 81%), men's golf (80% to 89%), women's track and field (92% to 94), men's tennis (71% to 83%), women's tennis (86% to 88%), rowing (92% to 100%), and men's track and field (73% to 84%).
Additionally, for the freshman class entering in the fall of 2007, the composite GSR of 87% is the highest single-year performance ever for an entering freshman class of student-athletes at UT.
The GSR allows institutions to add scholarship transfers that fit into their respective freshman cohorts and remove those students that choose to leave and are academically eligible according to NCAA Progress-Toward-Degree Requirements.
UT also announced the student-athlete federal graduation rate (FGR) for the same cohort range was 59 percent, a two percent decrease from last year. The 62 percent FGR from the cohort range from two years ago marked an all-time UT high since the inception of the rate's measurement.
A key focus for the University of Tennessee athletic programs is to graduate student-athletes and prepare them for real-world experiences. In 2001, the University of Tennessee opened the Thornton Athletics Student Life Center to provide student-athletes with superior academic support programs and personal and career development assistance.
In Spring 2014, and for the third consecutive semester overall and the third consecutive spring semester, University of Tennessee student-athletes posted a collective GPA above 3.0, finishing the Spring 2014 semester with a 3.03 GPA. Additionally, for the first time in school history, as many as 12 teams have recorded a GPA of 3.0 or higher, one more than the previous high of 11. Four sports: baseball, women's swimming and diving, men's track and field, and women's track and field, recorded program-best Spring GPA team performances, with baseball and women's swimming and diving setting team GPA records for any semester since sport-by-sport records have been kept, which began in 2003.
The breakdown of the University of Tennessee's graduation success rates and federal rates for student-athletes who first enrolled at the University from 2004-07 through 2007-08 are as follows:
| Sports | GSR | Federal Rate |
| Overall | 78 | 59 |
| Baseball | 48 | 30 |
| Men's Basketball | 70 | 45 |
| Women's Basketball | 100 | 64 |
| Men's Cross Country/Track & Field | 84 | 52 |
| Women's Cross Country/Track & Field | 94 | 72 |
| Football | 62 | 54 |
| Men's Golf | 89 | 89 |
| Women's Golf | 83 | 63 |
| Rowing | 100 | 78 |
| Soccer | 80 | 58 |
| Softball | 100 | 67 |
| Men's Swimming & Diving | 81 | 71 |
| Women's Swimming & Diving | 94 | 59 |
| Men's Tennis | 83 | 50 |
| Women's Tennis | 88 | 60 |
| Vlleyball | 100 | 67 |
The University encourages former student-athletes who left in good standing to return to the university to achieve their degree. The SouthEast Bank Renewing Academic Commitment (RAC) Program works with former student-athletes by assisting them with advice on remaining degree requirements, course scheduling, tutoring, employment and internship opportunities offered through the Life Skills Office, and use of the Thornton Center for their academic and career needs.
There are currently seven former student-athletes completing degree requirements through the RAC program, which has assisted 119 former student-athletes earn their degrees over the last eight years.
