Feature

Gophers shine again in new APR report

A row of maroon and gold M flags flapping in the wind

In the NCAA’s newly released Academic Progress Rate (APR) report, Golden Gopher student-athletes once again showed their academic prowess.

The Gophers had 14 programs earn a perfect APR score in the most recent reporting year, 2020-21: baseball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's golf, men's and women's hockey, rowing, gymnastics, softball, soccer, women's swimming, women's track and field, and volleyball. 

Seven Gopher programs earned a perfect-1,000 multiyear rate, with data covering four academic years. Those programs were baseball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's golf, gymnastics, and soccer.

"We are extremely proud of our sustained academic success at the University of Minnesota," says J.T. Bruett, director of the Lindahl Academic Center. "Seven programs recording a perfect multiyear rate and 14 with a perfect single-year rate is a representation of the strong academic commitment and culture by our student-athletes, coaches, athletic administration, and campus."

Each Gopher program was well above the multiyear score cutline of 930. The latest multiyear scores include data from the 2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20, and 2020-21 academic years. The report was last issued in May of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

APR scores are determined by eligibility and retention for each student-athlete on scholarship during a specific academic year. Each student-athlete earned one point for each semester they are enrolled and one point for each semester they are eligible for intercollegiate competition. A student-athlete can earn a maximum of four points during an academic year.

The APR is then calculated by taking the number of possible points for a particular sport for the four years and dividing that number by the total number of points earned from student-athlete retention and eligibility over the same period of time. That percentage is then multiplied by 1,000 to obtain the multiyear rate used in the report.

The purpose of the APR, according to the NCAA, is to provide a "real-time snapshot" of each team's academic performance. The NCAA requires teams to maintain a minimum multiyear APR of 930 to avoid penalties.