William & Mary Athletics has once again demonstrated its commitment to academic excellence, achieving remarkable success in the NCAA’s latest graduation rate reports. Released on November 19, the data reveals that for the 21st consecutive year, William & Mary ranks among the top two Division I public institutions in terms of the Federal Graduation Rate (FGR). With an impressive FGR of 87%, the institution significantly surpasses the national average for all student-athletes, which stands at 68%.
This achievement places William & Mary’s FGR eighth overall among all Division I schools, as well as the highest in the state of Virginia. The NCAA also provides an alternative metric known as the Graduation Success Rate (GSR), which further underscores the academic success of the Tribe. In this latest report, William & Mary recorded a GSR of 96%, an increase from the previous year and tied for its best performance in the history of the GSR, which spans over two decades.
Exceptional Performance Across Programs
The GSR evaluates graduation rates while accounting for students who transfer into an institution, excluding those who transfer out in good academic standing. The overall GSR for NCAA institutions remains stable at 90%, highlighting William & Mary’s exceptional standing. The university ranked fourth nationally among Division I public schools for GSR, third in Virginia, and fourth in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA).
Remarkably, 14 teams at William & Mary reported a perfect GSR of 100%, including all women’s programs. This marks the 16th instance in the 21-year history of the GSR report that ten or more programs achieved this milestone. Notably, four teams—men’s and women’s gymnastics, men’s tennis, and women’s golf—have showcased consistent excellence by achieving a perfect GSR every year since the report’s inception.
Several programs have notable streaks of maintaining a GSR of 100% for over five consecutive years. These include men’s golf (10 years), women’s soccer (nine years), women’s lacrosse (eight years), and women’s swimming (seven years). Other programs, such as field hockey, women’s basketball, women’s cross country and track & field, men’s swimming, and volleyball, also reached the perfect GSR mark.
Outstanding Federal Graduation Rates
In terms of FGR, six programs achieved a perfect score, including women’s cross country and track & field, men’s golf, men’s gymnastics, men’s and women’s swimming, and women’s tennis. Overall, 18 of the Tribe’s 19 programs (with cross country and track and field combined) had GSRs exceeding their respective sport national averages.
The data in the NCAA report reflects the cohort of students who began their higher education in the fall of 2018, alongside a four-year average of students who first enrolled between the fall of 2015 and the fall of 2018. This continued success emphasizes William & Mary Athletics’ commitment to academic achievement and the overall well-being of its student-athletes.
