Florida athletics exceeds national average in latest Academic Progress Rate report

Florida's student-athletes have had recent success in the classroom, with a score of 989 in the Academic Progress Rate (APR), announced Tuesday by the NCAA.

The latest report, which marks the 18th year of the APR, contains rates through four years: from the 2017-18 academic year through the 2020-21 academic year. UF's overall score exceeded the national average of 984. 

“Last month, we finished the academic year with an overall student-athlete GPA of 3.21 — the highest in program history,” Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin said. “Today’s APR is another example of the commitment Gator student-athletes show in the academic arena.”

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Four UF women's teams post perfect APR scores

Four UF women's athletic programs — cross country, golf, gymnastics and volleyball — turned in the maximum APR score of 1,000, while 13 teams exceeded or equaled its sport's national average.

The Florida football team posted a score of 981, 12 points above the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) national average of 969. 

UF men’s basketball and baseball also surpassed the national averages of 968 and 977, respectively, with scores of 990 and 982. 

Under the APR format, a portion of NCAA revenue is allocated to member schools if student-athletes meet certain criteria. Schools earn one academic achievement unit per year if its student-athletes meet at least one of these requirements:

• Earn an overall single-year all-sport APR of 985 or higher
• Earn an overall all-sport Graduation Success Rate of 90% or higher
• Earn a federal graduation rate that is at least 13 percentage points higher than the federal graduation rate of the student-body at that school.

Having met the requirements of the first two points, UF will qualify for the NCAA's revenue distribution. 

Here's how each UF team fared in the APR report

Sport                                    2020-21 APR    DI Average

Baseball                                     982                    977

Basketball (Men's)                     990                    968

Basketball (Women's)               981                     983

Cross Country (Men's)              977                     983

Cross Country (Women's)        1,000                   990

Football (FBS)                           981                     969

Golf (Men's)                               988                     988

Golf (Women's)                        1000                    993

Gymnastics                               1000                   994

Lacrosse                                    995                    994

Soccer                                       987                    990

Softball                                      992                    987

Swimming & Diving (Men's)      985                    986

Swimming & Diving (Women's) 996                    993

Tennis (Men's)                            981                   986

Tennis (Women's)                       982                   991

Track & Field (Men's)                  975                  974

Track & Field (Women's)             990                  984

Volleyball                                     1000                989