Work by High School Campers

APR: The Growing Threat To College Sports

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When it comes to Division-I athletic programs, the NCAA is demanding higher and better performances each year in the classroom. This past June, the NCAA passed a new set of rules about the Academic Progress Rates (APR) of students playing Division-I athletics. To qualify for the 2012-13 playoffs and championships, each team must have a minimum 900 four-year APR or a 930 average over two years.  For the 2014-15 season, teams must earn a four-year average of at least 930 or an average of at least 940 in the two most recent years.  And for the 2015-16 season, teams must earn a four-year APR of at least 940. Each Division-I team calculates its APR each academic year, based on the eligibility, graduation and retention of each scholarship athlete, the NCAA said. Teams scoring below certain thresholds can face consequences, such as practice restrictions and restrictions on postseason competition.

Work by High School Campers

UConn Men’s Basketball Team Back On Track Academically

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Through the years the University of Connecticut men’s and women’s basketball teams have dominated their respective sports by winning multiple national championships. But when it comes to academics, the women have been far superior to the men. When the UConn men’s basketball team begins play in the American Athletic Conference this season, it will once again be eligible for post-season play. That’s because the team’s 2011-12 Academic Progress Rate, or APR – the NCAA’s measurement of academic and graduation success – was 947 out of 1,000, giving the program two consecutive years with good scores and meeting the NCAA requirements. With a two-year average APR of 964, the men’s team, which had been banned from postseason play in 2013 for a low APR, surpassed the NCAA’s two-year standard of 930. Only a handful of college basketball teams have been able to keep the consistent perfect score of 1,000.