All of SMU’s 15 athletic teams rated by the NCAA were equal to or better than the national average of Graduation Success Rates (GSR), with six of those programs rating 100 percent according to data released by the NCAA today.

Mustang programs that scored a perfect 100 percent include men and women’s tennis, volleyball, women’s soccer, equestrian, cross country and track and field. The GSR issued by the NCAA combines track and field with cross country to count both as one program. However, SMU considers them separate entities to make 16 sponsored programs.

The GSR was developed by the NCAA in an effort to more accurately assess the academic success of student-athletes across the nation. Unlike the federal graduation rate, the GSR rate holds institutions accountable for transfer students.

Institutions are not penalized for outgoing transfer students who leave in good academic standing under the calculation. Outgoing transfers are included in the receiving institution’s GSR cohort. Incoming transfer students and midyear enrollees have resulted in a 37 percent increase of the total number of student-athletes tracked for graduation.

The Division 1 Graduation Success Rates released most recently are based on the four entering classes from 2001-02 through 2004-05. About 105,000 student-athletes are included in those four classes using the GSR methodology, whereas the federal rate only included about 76,500.