Ohio State Reveals Academic Progress Rate Score

The Buckeyes football program has the highest multi-year APR in its program’s history.

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman went viral earlier this week when he apparently took a shot at Ohio State’s academics compared to Notre Dame’s.

“If you don’t go to class [at places like that]?” Freeman said. “Okay, take some online classes, show up for your appointments. At Notre Dame, you’re forced every day to go to class.”

Freeman, an Ohio State grad, later clarified his comments by saying he was “misquoted” and is “very proud of my two degrees from Ohio State.” However, the damage was already done, as both former Ohio State players and Ohio State fans were upset by the comments.

Well, now Buckeyes supporters have proof to back up their program. The school released its academic Annual Progress Rate for the 2020–21 year, and the Ohio State football team tallied a perfect score. The program now has a multi-year APR 991 out of 1,000, the highest score in the program’s history.

In fact, 16 of Ohio State’s 26 athletic teams recorded a perfect APR score, with no team recording a score below 975. The combined score for the department in 2020–21 was 992, the second-highest in school history.

“The current data shows not only that academics continued to be a priority under pandemic conditions for students, coaches and support staff, but also that a focus on academic success has been a core value over time at Ohio State,” Ohio State Faculty Athletics Representative Dr. John Davidson said in a press release. “The current multi-year score, which accounts for eligibility and retention across a cohort spanning four academic years, is the second highest in the institution’s history.”

Meanwhile, Notre Dame’s football program earned a 984 APR per On3, despite the fact that the Fighting Irish athletic programs averaged a 997. 

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