University of North Carolina Athletics
Football Program Honored By AFCA For Graduation Rate
November 29, 2011 | Football
Nov. 29, 2011
WACO, TEX. -- For the seventh time in the last eight years, the University of North Carolina has been recognized for graduating at least 75 percent of its football student-athletes by the America Football Coaches Association. Carolina was one of six Atlantic Coast Conference institutions to receive the honor.
This year's award marks the fourth time the NCAA's Graduation Success Rate (GSR) formula has been used to select the winner. From 1981 to 2007, the award was presented based on a formula used by the College Football Association and AFCA. Since 2008, the criteria for the AFCA's Academic Achievement Award is based on the highest NCAA GSR, at least 15 students in the GSR Cohort, and a Federal Graduation Rate of 75 percent or better.
Forty-six institutions will be recognized for graduating 75 percent or more of their football student-athletes, including AFCA Academic Achievement Award winners Boise State and Miami (Ohio). Fifteen of those institutions -- Air Force, Army, Boston College, Central Florida, Duke, Florida, Iowa, Miami (Fla.), Navy, Northern Illinois, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Penn State, Rice, Stanford -- achieved a rate of 90 percent or better. The remaining 29 institutions are: Arkansas State, Baylor, Bowling Green State, Cincinnati, Clemson, Colorado State, Fresno State, Illinois, LSU, Louisiana Tech, Marshall, Memphis, Middle Tennessee State, North Carolina, Ohio, Rutgers, SMU, Syracuse, TCU, Texas Tech, Tulane, UCLA, Utah, Utah State, UTEP, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, West Virginia and Western Kentucky.
The Academic Achievement Award was established by the College Football Association in 1981. The award recognized the CFA-member Football Bowl Subdivision institution with the highest graduation rate among members of its football team. When the CFA disbanded in 1997, the AFCA stepped in to present the award and conduct a graduation rate survey that encompassed all members of the FBS.
The GSR is based on a six-year graduation window for student-athletes which is a change from the five-year window used by the CFA and AFCA. The GSR was developed by the NCAA as part of its academic reform initiative to more accurately assess the academic success of student-athletes. The GSR holds institutions accountable for transfer students, unlike the federal graduation rate. The GSR also accounts for midyear enrollees.
Under GSR calculation, institutions are not penalized for outgoing transfer students who leave in good academic standing. These outgoing transfers are passed to the receiving institution's GSR cohort. By counting incoming transfer students and midyear enrollees, the GSR increases the total number of student-athletes tracked for graduation by more than 37 percent.
2011 Conference Breakdown of Winners and Honorable Mentions: Conference USA- 7, ACC- 6, Big 10- 4, Big East- 4, MAC- 4, Mountain West- 4, Independents- 3, Pac-12- 3, SEC- 3, Sun Belt- 3, WAC- 3, Big 12- 2.
