Published on November 20, 2024 by Joey Mullins  

Belltower GSRrank graphicSamford University's athletics teams posted an impressive 98 in the NCAA's latest Graduation Success Rate (GSR) report, released Wednesday. Leading all schools in the state of Alabama and the Southern Conference, Samford tied for the second-highest score among all 351 Division I schools.

The university has a long history of performing at a high level for its combination of excellence in both academics and athletic competition and has consistently earned an overall GSR score above 90 percent since 2012.

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 measures the academic years 2014-15 through 2017-18.

Twelve of Samford's teams earned perfect scores of 100 percent. The Bulldogs baseball, men's basketball, men's cross country/track, men's golf, men's tennis, women's basketball, women's cross country/track, women's golf, women's soccer, softball, women's tennis and volleyball teams all registered perfect scores. Every Samford team ranked at or above the national average.

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.

Samford competes in 17 NCAA Division I sports in the historic Southern Conference.

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 6,101 students from 45 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.