Boston College Ranked 5th In FBS In Graduation Success Rate

The annual NCAA Graduation Success Ratings are out, and as usual Boston College scores high. BC's overall GSR is 95, which is fifth in the country among schools that participate in the FBS. Leading the way nationally across all sports were Duke (98), Notre Dame (98), Stanford (98) and Northwestern (95).

The football team specifically had a GSR of 89, which ranks 8th among all FBS football teams and is down somewhat from BC's run of being right at or near the top annually in football graduation rates throughout the early 2000s. Stanford, Northwestern, Rice, Duke, Notre Dame, UCF and Wake Forest's football teams topped BC's in the GSR chart. The GSR calculation looks back at a six year window, and the past six years have been fairly tumultuous and full of turnover for BC football, which likely contributed to the slight decline.

All BC teams scored at 86 or higher with two exceptions, men's basketball and (random) women's golf.

The overall Graduation Success Rate according to the NCAA for all D1 athletes this year was 86%.

In a contrast with the Federal Graduation Rate, the GSR accounts for players leaving due to transfer or leaving to go pro by crediting schools in the calculation as long as the player leaves in good academic standing. It also credits schools if athletes who transfer in earn a degree, something that is not calculated by the federal graduation rate. While the federal rate is what's used to sanction schools whose rates are unacceptably low, the GSR serves as an alternative measure that the NCAA believes more accurately reflects academic performance by each school.