Ohio State student-athlete graduation success rate at 88 percent
Buckeyes continue to outperform the national average in the Federal Graduation Rate
In graduation data released by the NCAA today, Ohio State University student-athletes have a four-class average (2010-13) of 88 percent in the Graduation Success Rate (GSR) and, in the 2013-14 cohort, held steady with a Federal Graduation Rate (FGR) of 74 percent, five points above the national average.
“Like all students at Ohio State, Buckeye student-athletes continue to outperform the national average in the FGR, the measure of whether a freshman entering in the fall semester graduates from that same institution within six years,” said John E. Davidson, Ohio State faculty athletics representative and professor in Germanic languages and literatures and film studies.
The NCAA established the GSR in 2002 as a means of understanding student-athletes’ academic completion rates more concretely. It does so by accounting for two groups that play an increasingly prominent role in collegiate athletics: mid-year, first-time enrollees and transfers.
“Since the GSR was established, Ohio State’s GSR has improved markedly, reaching a kind of plateau of 86 percent from 2017-19,” Davidson said. “Seen in that context, this year’s improvement by two points to 88 percent is truly significant. Our student-athletes are performing extremely well academically, and the entire department is focused on continuing to improve. Everyone from coaches to athletics leadership to academic staff take this as a point of pride.
“Still, the credit goes to the inspirational young men and women who dedicate themselves to being the best they can be as students and athletes.”
This year’s data includes classes entering Ohio State between 2010 and 2013. During that four-class time period, the FGR for Ohio State student-athletes (74 percent) was above both the Division I average of 68 percent for student-athletes and 67 percent for the general student body at DI institutions overall. A total of 20 Ohio State teams were at or above the national average in FGR.
In the GSR, 12 Ohio State programs were equal to or ahead of the national GSR for their sports, while 16 teams improved their GSR scores. Three maintained a perfect 100 percent in that category – women’s golf, women’s tennis and women’s volleyball – and two more – women’s fencing and synchronized swimming – reached that mark. A total of 12 squads maintained or improved both their FRG and GSR numbers. Women’s fencing, synchronized swimming and women’s volleyball scored 100 percent in both ratings. This is the second consecutive perfect score for women’s volleyball.
