June 9, 2010
Northwestern's 2008-09 APR Data Public Report (PDF Format) 
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern has put together its most impressive performance since the inception of the Academic Progress Rate (APR) program, according to the most recent data released today (Wednesday, June 9) by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
Every Northwestern program has a four-year average APR of 981 or better, 10 points higher than NU's lowest score a year ago. Five different programs have perfect 1,000 APR averages, with men's basketball, softball and women's tennis joining previous perfectionists men's tennis and women's golf on that list.
In addition to those sports, 11 other Wildcats' programs recorded perfect scores for the 2008-09 year: football, men's golf, men's soccer, women's basketball, cross country, women's fencing, field hockey, women's lacrosse, women's soccer, women's swimming and volleyball. That means 16 of Northwestern's 19 varsity programs earned perfect APR scores of 1,000 during the 2008-09 academic year, up from 14 in the last report.
A whopping 10 Northwestern varsity programs were honored last month by the NCAA with public recognition awards for being in the top-10 percent of their respective sports with their latest multi-year APR scores, double NU's total last season and the best total in the Big Ten this year by four. Fifty-three percent of Northwestern's varsity programs were publicly recognized; the next highest in the Big Ten was Michigan with 24 percent. Wildcat teams honored for being in the top 10 percent were: baseball, men's basketball, football, men's soccer, men's tennis, wrestling, women's golf, softball, women's tennis and volleyball.
"To be certain, it is tremendously exciting that our student-athletes are so dedicated to the classroom that they have actually improved upon their already outstanding academic performance," Northwestern Director of Athletics and Recreation Jim Phillips said. "These young men and women represent what being a true student-athlete is all about. We are exceptionally proud to remain a leader among our peers in academic data while competing for championships in every one of our 19 varsity sports."
Of particular note are Northwestern's football and men's basketball teams, which both compiled a perfect 1,000 APR score in 2008-09 while reaching postseason play (football competed in the Alamo Bowl while men's basketball qualified for the NIT). The men's basketball score marks the fourth-straight year the program has had a perfect mark, giving it a flawless 1,000 multi-year rate (calculated from 2005-06 through 2008-09).
Football's total of 1,000 is up from a program-best 992 in the previous two reports, giving it a multiyear rate of 986 to place it in the top-10 percent among all FBS and FCS programs. The average cumulative multi-year APR for the sport is 944 according to the latest data. The gridiron 'Cats have won the American Football Coaches Association's (AFCA) Academic Achievement Award for having the highest graduation rate in the country in four of the last eight years.
Northwestern has been able to achieve its academic success while also competing at the highest level athletically; despite fielding a smaller number of varsity athletics programs than most BCS schools, Northwestern placed more than half of its varsity programs in NCAA postseason play, getting top-10 national finishes from women's lacrosse (champions), men's soccer (quarterfinals), women's tennis (quarterfinals) and women's fencing (seventh place).
Every Division I sports team calculates its APR each academic year, based on the eligibility, retention and graduation of each scholarship student-athlete. It also serves as a predictor of graduation success. All information in the latest report is for the past four academic years (2005-09). Teams that score below 925 face varying degrees of penalties.