University Southern California Trojans
USC Posts Impressive NCAA APR Scores
Fourteen of USC's 21 sports posted an NCAA Academic Progress Rate that equaled or exceeded last year's score, including 9 teams whose figures were their programs' all-time highs (5 had perfect 1000 scores), in data that was released today (May 10) by the NCAA.
Thirteen Trojan teams had an APR that was above the national average for their sport in the annual scorecard of academic achievement for all Division I teams.
USC's cumulative 21-team APR of 976 this year is the school's best ever.
A team's APR accounts for eligibility, retention and graduation to generate a measure of academic performance. Each year, the APR creates a snapshot of a team's academic success as it tracks the progress of each student-athlete on scholarship. Today's APR is a multiyear rate based on scores from the 2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16 academic years. APR scores below 930 lead to penalties that include practice restrictions, playing season reductions and post-season ineligibility. The NCAA began tracking APR in 2004-05.
"We are extremely pleased with our APR numbers and the superb academic performance of our teams," said Dr. Magdi El-Shahawy, USC's senior associate athletic director in charge of Student-Athlete Academic Services. "Having two-thirds of our teams build on their scores from last year and almost half of our teams achieve all-time highs is impressive. This could not have been done without the hard work in the classroom by our student-athletes, or the support of our head coaches and the SAAS team in the Stevens Academic Center."
Five Trojan teams posted perfect 1000 APR rates: men's volleyball, women's beach volleyball, women's cross country, women's golf and women's tennis.
The 9 USC teams that this year posted their all-time high APR scores in the 13-year span of the NCAA's Academic Performance Program were: football (968), men's basketball (969), men's track (983), baseball (997 for the fourth consecutive year), men's volleyball (1000 for the second consecutive year), women's beach volleyball (1000), women's cross country (1000 for the third consecutive year), women's golf (1000) and women's tennis (1000 for the fourth consecutive year).
USC's 14 squads that equaled or exceeded their score from last year were: football, men's basketball, baseball, men's golf, men's tennis, men's track, men's volleyball, women's cross country, women's golf, women's soccer, women's tennis, women's track, women's volleyball and women's water polo.
USC's 13 teams whose APR exceeded the national average for their sport were: baseball, football, men's basketball, men's tennis, men's track, men's volleyball, women's beach volleyball, women's cross country, women's golf, women's lacrosse, women's soccer, women's tennis and women's track.
Last week, 5 USC teams received NCAA Public Recognition Awards for outstanding performance in the classroom: baseball, men's volleyball, women's cross country, women's golf and women's tennis. Each team achieved an APR within the top 10 percent in their respective sports.
No USC sport was close to the NCAA APR of 930 that leads to penalties, including practice restrictions, playing season reductions and post-season ineligibility. In fact, all USC men's teams were at least 38 points above that baseline standard and all Trojan women's teams were at least 19 points above it.
