UK Athletes Tie School Record for NCAA Graduation Success Rate
LEXINGTON, Ky. – University of Kentucky student-athletes tied the school record for Graduation Success Rate in the annual report issued Wednesday by the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
“Graduation is a foundational goal of the student-athlete experience. We’re proud to match our record in that area and are striving for even greater heights in the future,” Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart said. “Obviously, it takes years-long commitment by our student-athletes, and I’m also appreciative of our coaches and the CATS (Center for Academic and Tutorial Services) staff for their support along the way.”
UK’s NCAA Graduation Success Rate (GSR), a four-year composite statistic for the freshman classes of 2012-13 through 2015-16, was 92 percent. That tied the record set in each of the past three years, continuing UK Athletics’ streak of breaking or tying the mark every year since the NCAA began tracking the statistic in 2005.
In addition to tying the school record, Kentucky’s GSR of 92 percent is one point above the Division I national average of 91 percent.
The GSR includes student-athletes who are on scholarship their first semester of enrollment. Athletes who transfer or depart for the professional ranks in good academic standing do not count against the school’s GSR. Schools also are allowed to count incoming transfers and January enrollees who subsequently graduate toward the GSR.
Here are UK Athletics’ GSR scores in the 19-year history of the measure:
Year NCAA GRADUATION SUCCESS RATE
2023 92%
2022 92
2021 92
2020 92
2019 91
2018 88
2017 85
2016 82
2015 81
2014 81
2013 79
2012 79
2011 77
2010 74
2009 73
2008 73
2007 71
2006 71
2005 68
The NCAA also released each school’s Federal Graduation Rate (FGR), which is also a four-year composite statistic for freshman classes from 2013-14 through 2016-17. UK’s latest FGR mark is 62%.
In the FGR, student-athletes who transfer or depart early for the professional ranks count as non-graduates, regardless of their academic standing or subsequent graduation from another institution. Incoming transfer students, from junior college or four-year schools, who graduate at UK are not counted as graduates. These factors account for the difference between the FGR and the NCAA GSR.
UK Athletics also set a school record with 167 Wildcats receiving diplomas or certifications in the 2022-23 academic year alone. UK student-athletes are also receiving high marks in the classroom, combining to surpass the department’s goal of a 3.0 grade-point average in 22 consecutive semesters.
