Northwestern Graduation Success Rate Tops Big Ten, Second in NCAA

Northwestern student-athletes continue to set a national standard in the classroom.

The NCAA developed the Graduation Success Rate (GSR) to assess the long-term academic success of its student-athletes. The GSR accounts for transfer students and midyear enrollees and is calculated for every sport. 

The GSR gives student-athletes six years to earn their degree. The most recent date (2020-21) is based on student-athletes who enrolled in college in 2014.

The Wildcats have an overall 98% GSR, which ranks second among all Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) schools and leads the Big Ten Conference for the 17th consecutive year. 

Northwestern's overall 98% GSR matches the department's and Big Ten's all-time record, and leads the conference by two percentage points.

Northwestern has finished in the top-four among all FBS institutions all 17 years, scoring 96%-or-higher each year. 

The current cohort boasts 12 Wildcats programs with perfect scores: baseball, cross country, field hockey, men's soccer, men's tennis, fencing, softball, women's basketball, women's golf, women's swimming and diving, women's tennis and women's volleyball.

With a 97% GSR, the current Northwestern football cohort earned the highest mark among all FBS programs for the fifth consecutive year. The Wildcats have been ranked first or second in the nation for GSR among FBS programs for 11 straight years. 

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