Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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6 NOV. 28, 2016 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY LOU SOMOGYI F or the 10th consecutive year, the University of Notre Dame has claimed at least a share of the 2016 national championship after posting the top NCAA Graduation Success Rate (GSR) figure (98) based on en- tering classes from 2006-09. The GSR figures were initiated in 2005 by the NCAA, and for the 11th time in 12 years Notre Dame ranks No. 1 on a percentage basis in terms of number of GSR 100 scores among all 128 Football Bowl Subdivision schools (formerly known as Division I-A). Prior to the GSR, the federal gradu- ation rates were used. What was dif- ferent with the federal rate is that stu- dent-athletes who transferred from an institution were automatically counted against the school's graduation success rate — even if they went on to gradu- ate from another institution. For example, if 25 players enrolled in a Notre Dame football recruiting class and five transferred, the best the Fighting Irish could claim was 80 per- cent (20 out of 25), even if the other five went on to graduate elsewhere. The university's 98 percent GSR number for all its student-athletes is tied with the figure for Stanford. Us- ing the federal formula, Notre Dame graduated a four-year average of 90 percent of its student-athletes, be- hind only Stanford at 95 and North- western at 91. Among Notre Dame's institutional research, based on the NCAA-issued GSR and federal figures released on Nov. 15, the highlights included: • Eighteen of the 22 Irish men's and women's varsity programs ana- lyzed posted GSR figures of 100 per- cent — and 10 produced federal rate 100 scores. • Eleven of the 22 Fighting Irish teams produced federal graduation rates that led all FBS institutions. • For the 10th year in a row, Notre Dame leads the nation in GSR catego- ries both for all student-athletes (at 98) and female student-athletes (99). Notre Dame's GSR figure for male student- athletes ranks No. 1 for the seventh time in eight years (this year at 97). • In addition to its No. 1 GSR rank- ing for all student-athletes (98), Notre Dame finished tied for first among female student-athletes at 99, tied for first among male student-athletes at 97 percent and tied for fourth among black student-athletes at 90 percent. • In football per GSR, Notre Dame ranked sixth at 93. • Notre Dame graduated 95 percent of all women competing in varsity athletics to rank second among its peer institutions based on the federal calculations (behind Stanford at 97). • Among men, Notre Dame's 87 percent federal rate was third, its 78 percent rate among black student- athletes was fourth based on the fed- eral rate, and Irish football players graduated at a 79 percent rate to rank tied for seventh. • Over the total 12 years of num- bers of both the federal rates and the GSR, Notre Dame has had 120 possi- ble rankings in the five categories and 53 times ranked first, 27 times ranked second and 13 times ranked third. 2016 NCAA GRADUATION RATES The federally mandated NCAA Graduation Rates Report covers stu- dents who enrolled between 2006 and 2009 at all Division I institutions. The federal graduation rates are based on the raw percentage of stu- dent-athletes who entered an institu- tion and graduated within six years. Students who leave or transfer, re- gardless of academic standing, are considered non-graduates. All military academies are exempt from the federal survey because they do not offer grants-in-aid to student- athletes. The GSR was created to more accu- rately reflect actual graduation rates by including transfer data in the calcula- tion. College and university presidents asked the NCAA to develop a new methodology that takes into account the mobility among students in today's higher education environment. Research indicates approximately 60 percent of all new bachelor's de- gree recipients are attending more than one undergraduate institution during their collegiate careers. UNDER THE DOME ACADEMIC DOMINANCE Notre Dame athletics win 10th straight national title in NCAA Graduation Success Rate Members of the 2015 Notre Dame football team celebrated their graduation during the ceremony held in Notre Dame Stadium in May 2016. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME MEDIA RELATIONS