May 6, 2008

OXFORD, Ohio - With the release of the most recent NCAA Division I Academic Progress Rates report for all NCAA Division I institutions on May 6, Miami University's athletic teams are in exceptional standing in all categories.

Among Miami's most visible sports programs--football, men's and women's basketball, and baseball--these all rate well above the national average.

Miami's men's basketball team had a 981 score in 2006-07, and its 971 multi-year score paced all other MAC men's basketball squads. Nationally, basketball programs averaged 928.

Members of the 2006-07 RedHawk football team scored 975 of a possible 1,000, while its multi-year score of 963 topped all other Mid-American Conference football programs. The national average for football is 934.

MU's women's basketball program posted a 979 score in 2006-07, while its multi-year tally of 986 was best among all of the MAC's women's basketball programs. The national average is 960.

Miami's baseball program had a 966 score in 2006-07 and an equally impressive 969 score over a multi-year period. The national average is 938.

The report indicates that nearly all 6,272 Division I teams are achieving or exceeding the standards for academic performance based on four years of data. More than 700 teams were publicly recognized last month for APRs in the top 10 percent of each sport. Miami's soccer, tennis and golf teams were among three of those highest achieving programs.

Every Division I sports team calculates its APR each academic year, based on the eligibility, retention and graduation of each scholarship student-athlete. An APR of 925 projects to an NCAA Graduation Success Rate of approximately 60 percent. The average APR for all Division I student-athlete is 961, according to the latest NCAA data. The average APR for male student-athletes is 951, while the average for female student-athletes is 969.

Because of these programs' excellent performance, the NCAA indicated that an improvement plan need not be implemented by Miami's academic administrators.

The public recognition awards are part of the broad Division I academic reform effort. APR scores per institution, along with penalties per school and teams receiving public recognition, are available online at www.ncaa.org.