Academic Progress Rate (APR)

ACADEMIC PROGRESS RATE (APR)
The Division I Academic Progress Rate (APR) was implemented in 2003 as part of an academic reform to hold institutions accountable for the academic progress of their student-athletes through a team-based metric that accounts for the eligibility and retention of each scholarship student-athlete.

How is it Calculated?
Each student-athlete receiving athletically related financial aid earns one point for staying in school and one point for being academically eligible A team's total points are divided by points possible and then multiplied by 1000 to equal the team's APR In addition to the team's current APR, its rolling four-year APR is also used to determine accountability

Tiered Penalties

While APR is intended as an incentive-based approach, it does come with a progression of penalties for teams that underperform academically over time. NCAA Committee on Academics has the discretion to apply appropriate penalties once teams have fallen below the benchmark for three consecutive years.
First Level
- Limits teams to 16 hours of practice per week over five days (as opposed to 20 over six days) with the lost four hours to be replaced with academic activities.
Second Level
- Additional practice and competition reductions, either in the traditional or nonchampionship season
Third Level
- Possible coaching suspensions, financial aid reductions and restricted NCAA membership

Postseason Eligibility

Any individual, independent agency, corporate entity or other organization who is known (or should have been known) by a member of the institution's executive or athletics administration to: have participated in or to be a member of an agency or organization promoting the institution's NCAA athletics program; have made financial contributions to the athletics department (i.e., Phoenix Club); be assisting or have been requested (by the athletics department staff) to assist in the recruitment of prospective student-athletes; be assisting or to have assisted in providing benefits to enrolled student-athletes or their families; or have been involved otherwise in promoting the institution's athletics program Once an individual becomes a booster, he or she retains that status forever

Postseason Eligibility

Any individual, independent agency, corporate entity or other organization who is known (or should have been known) by a member of the institution's executive or athletics administration to:
- have participated in or to be a member of an agency or organization promoting the institution's NCAA athletics program;
- have made financial contributions to the athletics department (i.e., Phoenix Club);
- be assisting or have been requested (by the athletics department staff) to assist in the recruitment of prospective student-athletes;
- be assisting or to have assisted in providing benefits to enrolled student-athletes or their families; or
- have been involved otherwise in promoting the institution's athletics program
Once an individual becomes a booster, he or she retains that status forever

Official Visit
Teams must earn a four-year average APR of 930 to compete in championships While postseason bans are commonly applied as a penalty in the NCAA enforcement process, they are not considered a penalty for poor academic performance. Instead, the requirement that teams achieve a minimum APR is simply a benchmark for participation in championships. Just as teams must win in competition to be eligible for championships, they must also achieve in the classroom.

Official Visit

Teams must earn a four-year average APR of 930 to compete in championships
While postseason bans are commonly applied as a penalty in the NCAA enforcement process, they are not considered a penalty for poor academic performance. Instead, the requirement that teams achieve a minimum APR is simply a benchmark for participation in championships. Just as teams must win in competition to be eligible for championships, they must also achieve in the classroom.

Awards and Recognition
The NCAA established a public recognition program for the top-performing teams in each sport based on their most recent multiyear APR. These awards are given each year to teams with APRs in the top 10%, plus ties, in each sport. Beginning with the 2019-20 academic year, the NCAA will begin a revenue distribution for academic achievements. To qualify for the distribution, a school must meet any ONE of three standards: Division I APR average for all teams in the previous year is greater than 985; Graduation Success Rate is equal or greater than 90%; or Student-athletes graduate at a rate 13% or higher than the student-body rate published by Federal Graduation Rate

Awards and Recognition

The NCAA established a public recognition program for the top-performing teams in each sport based on their most recent multiyear APR. These awards are given each year to teams with APRs in the top 10%, plus ties, in each sport.
Beginning with the 2019-20 academic year, the NCAA will begin a revenue distribution for academic achievements. To qualify for the distribution, a school must meet any ONE of three standards:
- Division I APR average for all teams in the previous year is greater than 985;
- Graduation Success Rate is equal or greater than 90%; or
- Student-athletes graduate at a rate 13% or higher than the student-body rate published by Federal Graduation Rate