Sept. 3, 2003
2003 NCAA Graduation Rates Release
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For the fifth straight year, the Patriot League leads all Division I athletic conferences in graduation rates, according to the report released this week by the NCAA. In the national survey, the Patriot League full-member institutions graduated 84% of its students-athletes, more than 10 percent higher graduation rate than any other NCAA Division I conference.
Led by Bucknell University, which was one of two schools with a 100 percent graduation rate, the Patriot League member institutions combined to graduate 310 out of 370 freshmen who matriculated during the 1996-97 school year and received athletic aid. The University of Maryland Eastern Shore also reported a 100 percent graduation rate.
Patriot League members who ranked among the Top 25 out of 325 Division I institutions include Colgate University and Lehigh University, tied for 12th place and each with an 86 percent graduation rate, along with the College of the Holy Cross and Lafayette College, which are tied for 23rd nationally with an 82 percent graduation rate. American University had a 64 percent graduation rate during the one-year survey period.
As service academies, PL members Army and Navy are exempt from the required submission of the form and therefore ineligible for the award. The rankings are determined by annual federal graduation rate forms required of schools offering athletic aid. For purposes of this study, the student-athletes are given six years to earn their diplomas.
Bucknell, Lehigh and Colgate were also ranked among the top five in the USA Today/NCAA Academic Achievement Awards for Division I-AA.
"For the fifth-straight year, the NCAA Graduation Rates report demonstrates the priority that Patriot League member institutions place on academics," said Executive Director Carolyn Schlie Femovich. "The League's goal is to excel in both academic achievement and Division I athletic competition."
Among the Patriot League associate member institutions, Fairfield University ranked eighth nationally with an 88 percent graduation rate, followed by Villanova University (79%), Georgetown University (77%), Fordham University (71%) and Towson University (67%).
The Patriot League and the Atlantic 10 were the only Division I conferences that had all members ranked among the top 40 percent of all Division I schools. The PL led the country with an 84 percent graduation rate, followed by the A-10 (73%), the Big East (72%), the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (71%), the Atlantic Coast Conference (69%) and the Colonial Athletic Association (68%).
In the 2001 rankings, Lehigh, Georgetown, Colgate and Bucknell were among the Top 10 in graduation rate. Additionally, first-year League member American led the list of institutions that had shown the most improvement in student-athlete graduation rate (29%). In 2002, Holy Cross led the League and tied for second in the national rankings with a 90 percent graduation rates while the rest of the PL full members ranked in the Top 20 nationally.
2003 NCAA Graduation Rates
(Based On 1996-97 Freshman Class)
Top 5 Conferences (members) Percent Graduated
1. Patriot League (8*) 84
2. Atlantic 10 Conference (12) 73
3. Big East Conference (14) 72
4. Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (10) 71
5. Atlantic Coast Conference (9) 69
* Note: Service Academies (Army and Navy) are exempt from the required annual submission of federal graduation rate forms of schools offering financial aid and therefore not counted in survey.
Top 25 Schools Pct.
1. BUCKNELL 100
Maryland-Eastern Shore 100
3. Davidson 97
4. Bradley 93
5. Notre Dame 92
6. Tulsa 89
North Carolina-Wilmington 89
8. Fairfield 88
Duke 88
Wisconsin-Madison 88
11. Northwestern 86
12. COLGATE 86
LEHIGH 86
Boston College 86
Dayton 86
Loyola, Ill. 86
17. Canisius 84
Richmond 84
Stanford 84
20. Delaware 83
Western Michigan 83
William & Mary 83
23. HOLY CROSS 82
LAFAYETTE 82
Manhattan 82
Michigan 82
The Patriot League, an NCAA Division I athletics conference founded on the principle of admitting athletes who are academically representative of their class, is in its second decade of academic and athletic excellence. Participation in intercollegiate athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of the undergraduate experience. A successful Division I-AA football conference since 1986 and an all-sport conference since 1990, membership includes American, Army, Bucknell, Colgate, Holy Cross, Lafayette, Lehigh and Navy, while six additional institutions hold associate membership. Patriot League member institutions are among the oldest and most prestigious in the nation, graduating alumni who are well prepared for life with the ability to make meaningful contributions to their community and society in general. In the last five NCAA Graduation Rate Report of student-athletes, the Patriot League ranked FIRST among NCAA Division I conferences.