Arizona Has Record-Tying 10 Programs Achieve Perfect APR Score

TUCSON, Ariz. – Arizona Athletics continues its historic academic success with the release of the NCAA’s most recent Academic Progress Rate data. The athletics department had ten programs that posted perfect 1,000 single-year scores based off 2020-21 data. Arizona’s ten teams with perfect APR scores matches its all-time record that it achieved in 2020.

“The sustained excellence of Wildcat student-athletes in the classroom continues to reach new heights,” said Vice President and Director of Athletics Dave Heeke. “Our student-athletes are accomplishing academic greatness by all metrics while proudly representing the University of Arizona and Southern Arizona. The Wildcat Way mission of Arizona Athletics continues to impact the lives of student-athletes by developing them into academic, athletic and life champions. This unrivaled academic success is a testament to our student-athletes as well as our outstanding C.A.T.S. Academics staff who live the Wildcat Way each and every day.”

The department’s ten programs with perfect APR scores of 1,000 for the year were Women’s Cross Country, Soccer, Volleyball, Men’s Golf, Men’s Tennis, Women’s Basketball, Gymnastics, Women’s Track & Field, Beach Volleyball and Softball.

The elevation of student-athlete success in the classroom has been reflected in Arizona’s recent trend of perfect single-year scores of 1,000 in the APR releases. Prior to this year’s record-tying 10 programs, Arizona recorded 10 teams with perfect APR scores in 2020, nine in 2019 and eight in 2018.

The NCAA Implemented APR in 2003 as part of an ambitious academic reform effort in Division I. The Academic Progress Rate (APR) holds institutions accountable for the academic progress of their student-athletes through a team-based metric that accounts for the eligibility and retention of each student-athlete for each academic term.

Other historical academic marks achieved by Arizona Athletics this year include a 3.082 department GPA in the spring semester, which was the second-highest GPA for a spring semester in department history. Arizona also posted a Graduate Success Rate score of 86 percent in the most recent data from the NCAA, which was also the second-highest mark in school history.