Courtesy of Jackson State Athletics
The latest NCAA Graduation Success Rate (GSR) Report was released on Wednesday by the NCAA, and Jackson State ranks among the best in the nation and HBCUs with an overall department GSR of 87 percent.
Four teams achieved a perfect score on this report for Jackson State including men’s tennis, women’s bowling, softball, and women’s tennis. The women’s basketball team finished at 95 percent, soccer at 93 percent, and volleyball at 92 percent for Jackson State.
Figures released on Wednesday reflect graduation numbers among student-athletes who entered college in 2017, and the NCAA has tracked GSR for more than two decades with student-athletes surpassing the original benchmark of 80 percent with long-term graduation rate increases being observed yearly from an overall 74 percent in 2002.
Jackson State had the highest GSR amongst all HBCUs and had the third-highest in the state of Mississippi behind only Ole Miss and Mississippi State.
The Graduation Success Rate measures graduation rates for student-athletes by team. The GSR considers student-athletes on scholarship in their first year and who graduate from their respective institutions or leave their programs, via transfer to other institutions or for professional opportunities, while in good academic standing.
About NCAA Graduation Success Rate (GSR)
The NCAA Division I Committee on Academic Performance implemented the initial release of the GSR in 2005 to more accurately assess the academic success of student-athletes. The most recent GSR is for the years 2014-15 through 2017-18.
The NCAA developed the Division I Graduation Success Rate in response to college and university presidents who wanted graduation data that more accurately reflect the mobility among all college students today. The graduation-rate data are based on a six-year cohort prescribed by the U.S. Department of Education.