Ever Upward: BYU increases its APR score

The NCAA reports that Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores are up slightly across the Division I membership, and BYU's scores have also increased by the same margin.

The NCAA DI four-year APR average (measuring 2008-09 through 2011-12 academic years) is currently 974, up from 973 last year. BYU's 21-sport APR average matches the NCAA DI median of 974, also up from last year's institutional score of 973.

BYU's men's sports averaged a 2012 APR score of 961--down four points from last year, while the school's women's sports average was 981--up from 979 last year.

Relative to the two marquee sports, the NCAA DI four-year APR average for Football held steady at 949 (BYU is currently at 931), while the Men's Basketball's national average is 952 (BYU is at 981).

BYU's Women's Golf team (perfect multi-year APR score of 1000) was the one BYU squad to earn a Public Recognition Award; the Men's Basketball program had received a Public Recognition Award for each of the first six seasons of head coach Dave Rose's tenure, but the team just missed out in the 2011-12 academic year, despite an impressive single-year APR of 981 (also the team's four-year average). The awards are given to programs whose multi-year APR scores are ranked in the top 10% of each sport.

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The NCAA defines the APR as a "term-by-term measure of eligibility and retention for Division I student-athletes that was developed as an early indicator of eventual graduation rates."

APR is a snapshot metric relative to academic progress, and not a timeline measurement, such as as Graduation Success Rate (GSR). Because of the number of BYU student-athletes who embark on LDS Church missions, BYU's GSR numbers would often not accurately represent those student-athletes' academic progress. APR was developed by the NCAA "as a more real-time assessment of teams' academic performance than the six-year graduation-rate (GSR) calculation provides."

To calculate APR, up to two points each term are awarded to scholarship student-athletes who:

a) meet academic-eligibility standards (E)

and

b) remain with the institution (R)

The E point is awarded if the student-athlete is academically eligible to compete in the next regular academic term (even if he or she has no competition in that term). The R point is awarded if the student-athlete is retained by the institution in the next regular academic term. Student-athletes who graduate in a term are awarded both points for that term.

A team's APR is the total points earned by the team at a given time divided by the total points possible (multiplied by 1,000).

Student-athletes who leave an institution can still earn an E point for their program based on certain exceptions; i.e. a player who leaves school to turn professional may still earn a point, as long as he would have otherwise been academically eligible; the retention point requirement and calculation would be waived in that instance.

Note: relative to retention calculation for BYU student-athletes who embark on LDS missionary service, the NCAA says that "Legislated exceptions/allowable exclusions include student-athletes who...have participated in official religious missions."

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For the 2012-13 and 2013-14 NCAA championships, teams must earn a minimum 900 four-year APR or a 930 average over the most recent two years to be eligible to participate. For 2014-15 championships, teams must earn a 930 four-year average APR or a 940 average over the most recent two years to participate in championships. In 2015-16 and beyond, teams must earn a four-year APR of 930 to compete in the postseason.

The APR penalty structure was significantly revamped in 2011, effective with the 2012-13 academic year. The first level of the new structure limits teams to 16 hours of practice a week over five days, with the lost four hours to be replaced with academic activities. This represents a reduction of four hours and one day per week of practice time.

The second level adds competition reductions, either in the traditional or nontraditional season, to the first-level penalties.

The third level, where teams could remain until their rate improves, provides for a menu of penalty options, including coaching suspensions, financial aid reductions and restricted NCAA membership. The Committee on Academic Performance has the discretion to apply appropriate penalties once teams have fallen below the benchmark for three consecutive years.

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Bronco Mendenhall's football program has a 2011-12 four-year APR of 931--close to the new cut-line, but single-year scores of 943 (2011-12) and 955 (2010-11) should leave the team well clear of the "danger zone," as over the next two years, sub-920 scores from 2008-09 and 2009-10 will be dropped off.

Football and Baseball are the only two BYU sports with four-year APR scores under 950; Baseball improved from a four-year APR score of 943 last year to a 948 this year, after a 972 performance in the 2011-12 academic year.

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Four of BYU's 21 teams earned perfect single-year APR scores of 1,000 in the 2011-12 academic year:

Men's Cross Country (third consecutive year)

Men's Golf (second consecutive year)

Women's Golf

Women's Tennis (second consecutive year)

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Five of BYU's ten men's sports (Baseball, Cross Country, Golf, Track-Indoor and Track-Outdoor) increased their four-year APR from last year to this year, while four of BYU's 11 women's teams (Cross Country, Golf, Softball and Tennis) increased their scores.

You can search the NCAA database to see how BYU and all other DI schools have performed historically in every sport, since APR was introduced in 2004-05.

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Note: APR numbers only account for student-athletes on scholarship. Walk-on roster members are not included in the measurements.

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