Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell No. 2 in Nation in Student-Athlete Graduation Rates over 4-Year Period
10/14/2008 8:00:00 AM | General
Oct. 14, 2008
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Continuing a long-standing tradition of success in the NCAA's annual graduation rates survey, released Tuesday afternoon, Bucknell's four-class average for student-athletes entering between 1998-99 and 2001-02 ranks in a tie for second nationally.
With a four-class average of 89 percent, Bucknell trails only Davidson (92 percent) among all Division I institutions reporting federal graduation rates (the Ivy League and military academies do not report federal graduation rates). Georgetown, Notre Dame and Holy Cross are also at 89 percent.
Bucknell's student-athlete graduation rate is identical to its overall student-body average of 89 percent.
Additionally, Bucknell's graduation rate isolated to individuals entering school in 2001-02 ranks No. 12 among all Division I institutions. Bucknell's 86-percent mark was just behind Dayton (94), Davidson (93), Holy Cross (93), Providence (91), Notre Dame (90), American (89), Northwestern (89), Boston College (88), Sacred Heart (88), DePaul (87) and Saint Joseph's (87).
Also on Tuesday, the NCAA released its own Graduation Success Rate (GSR) data, which differs from the federal graduation-rate formula in that the GSR factors in transfer students who do graduate, and does not penalize schools for losing transfers who leave in good academic standing. Those findings revealed that 16 Bucknell varsity programs boasted perfect 100 percent GSRs, counting student-athletes who entered school between the 1998-99 and 2001-02 academic years. Of Bucknell's 23 varsity sports considered in the study (cross country, indoor and outdoor track and field are combined, for GSR purposes), 22 had a GSR of 88 percent or better.
The programs with GSR ratings of 100 percent are baseball, women's basketball, men's and women's golf, women's cross country/track & field, women's rowing, men's and women's lacrosse, men's and women's soccer, women's swimming, men's and women's tennis, volleyball, wrestling and women's water polo. Football has a GSR of 90, while men's basketball's is 89.
Bucknell's overall GSR of 94 percent also ranked favorably nationally.
Bucknell has topped the nation in graduation rates on numerous occasions, including in 2003, when it received a USA Today-NCAA Academic Achievement Award with a perfect 100 percent figure.
Bucknell sponsors 27 intercollegiate sports, including 14 for women, at the Division I level. It is a charter member of the Patriot League and has won the league's all-sports championship in 14 of the 18 years it has been contested, including 2007-08. Bucknell ranks fifth in Division I in producing Academic All-Americans.
