SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Bryant University student-athletes continue to excel academically and continue to be some of the best in the country, according to data released Tuesday (May 5) by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

Nine teams recorded perfect 1000 Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores, while 17 varsity sports were above the national APR average for their respective sport.

The nine programs that posted perfect APRs were Men's Cross Country, Men's Golf, Men's Track and Field, Softball, Women's Cross Country, Women's Golf, Women's Tennis, Women's Track & Field and Women's Volleyball.

Other APR Notes

• The multi-year APR rate for women's basketball was well above the national average (Bryant women – 995, national average – 984).
• Bryant's football team posted an APR of 987, well above the national average of 959. Football's APR ranks 37th among all DI programs and 11th among FCS programs.

Division I student-athletes are increasingly achieving academic success. The national four-year Academic Progress Rate for Division I teams rose by 2 points to an overall rate of 986, marking an uptick from the prior four consecutive years of a steady rate. 

National sport averages for the four years ending in 2024-25 increased from last year's reported APR scores, as well. Men's basketball increased by 3 points to 971. Women's basketball (984) and Football Bowl Subdivision (971) both increased by 2 points, while baseball (980) and Football Championship Subdivision football (959) each increased by 1 point. 

Additionally, many former student-athletes are returning to the classroom to complete their degrees after exhausting their athletics eligibility. In the past 22 years of the Academic Performance Program, over 22,400 student-athletes have gone back to school to earn their degrees and APR points for their former team. In football (6,518), baseball (2,457), and men's (1,691) and women's basketball (771), more than 11,000 former student-athletes have returned to college and earned their degrees. These student-athletes are typically not counted in the federal graduation rate or Graduation Success Rate calculations. 

Each academic year, every Division I sports team's APR is calculated using a simple and consistent formula. Scholarship student-athletes can earn 1 point for staying on course for a degree in their chosen major and 1 point for being retained (or graduating) at the end of each academic term. A team's total points are divided by points possible and then multiplied by 1,000. For schools that do not offer athletics scholarships, recruited student-athletes are tracked. 

This is the fifth consecutive year of publicly reported APRs after a one-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, the Division I Board of Directors approved the release of APR scores but voted to continue the suspension of program penalties. Normal Academic Performance Program penalties and loss of access to postseason competition returned last year and will continue this year. Teams scoring below the 930 benchmark will receive strategic penalties that encourage an emphasis on academics. 

A full list of APRs for each team, as well as those penalized, can be accessed by using the APR searchable database.