LA JOLLA, Calif. – As the University of California San Diego athletics program continues its transition to full Division I membership, its history of and commitment to academic success was on full display this week through the NCAA's annual release of its graduation rates report.
 
Once again, the data revealed that scholarship scholar-athletes at UC San Diego graduate at the highest rate among all public institutions in Division I and II.

UC San Diego's 4-year class average, beginning with the cohort entering as freshmen scholar-athletes in 2015-16, posted a 90 percent Federal Graduation Rate, which has held within one percentage point for UC San Diego in each of the last eight years.

The report shows UC San Diego as being the highest rated public institution among all Division I and Division II institutions with its Federal Graduation Rate and ranked second only to Stanford amongst institutions on the west coast. UC San Diego began its transition to full Division I status in July 2020 and is currently in the middle of its third year of a 4-year reclassification period.

The student-athlete Federal Graduation Rate is the proportion of first-year, full-time scholar-athletes who entered an institution on athletics aid and graduate from that institution within six years. The federal rate does not account for students who transfer from their original institution and graduate elsewhere; they are considered non-graduates at both the college they left and the one from which they eventually graduate.

In addition to the Federal Graduation Rate reporting, NCAA Division I calculates a separate graduation metric - Graduation Success Rate (GSR). Like the Federal Graduate Rate, the GSR measures the percentage of scholar-athletes who graduate from an institution within six years of initial collegiate enrollment.  However, unlike the Federal Rate, the GSR excludes those scholar-athletes who leave the institution with NCAA eligibility remaining and who would have been academically eligible had they remained at UC San Diego.  The GSR also includes scholar-athletes who transferred to UC San Diego and received athletics aid during their first year of enrollment.  

Although it previously competed at the Division II level and was subject to a different NCAA measurement at the time, UC San Diego's 4-class average GSR is 91 percent, which ties for the best among The Big West institutions.

Division I student-athletes continue to graduate at high rates, according to the latest Graduation Success Rate data (PDF) announced recently. The overall single-year GSR held steady at 90%, which continues to be the highest rate recorded. 
 
"Student-athletes continue to make impressive achievements in the classroom," said Dave Schnase, NCAA vice president of academic and membership affairs. "Student-athletes have demonstrated an incredible commitment to academic success while pursuing their sport at the Division I level. Member schools should be proud for creating meaningful, enriching and educational experiences that help our student-athletes graduate and set a course for long-term success."
 
NCAA President Mark Emmert congratulated student-athletes on their continued academic success. "Proud is an understatement to describe how we feel about the achievements of the talented student-athletes and the members who support them," Emmert said. "They continue to exceed expectations and excel in the classroom to earn their degrees. We celebrate their commitment to academic excellence and admire their dedication to shattering records, both academically and athletically." 

About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program has begun a new era as a member of The Big West in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have garnered prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in Division I or II. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.