WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – The William & Mary athletics department continued its impressive showing in the national academic rankings this week. The NCAA released its annual graduation rate reports, and the Tribe ranked second among all Division I and Division II public institutions in the Federal Graduation Rate.
"The academic success of our student-athletes is a yet another demonstration to their commitment to excellence," said William & Mary Director of Athletics, Brian D. Mann. "These achievements would not be possible without the outstanding work and dedication of our remarkable coaches and staff who support them in all endeavors, in the classroom, in their sport, and in life. This group works together to ensure we live up to the commitment we make to our student-athletes when they arrive on campus – that they will receive a world class education, participate in the highest level of collegiate athletics, and that each will leave our campus, degree in hand, with the tools necessary to lead a life of impact."
William & Mary's 86% FGR is well ahead of the national average for all student-athletes (69%). The Tribe's 86% student-athlete FGR ranked tied for 16th overall among all Division I schools and was the highest in the state of Virginia.
W&M ranked second among public schools behind only UC San Diego (90%), which began transitioning to full Division I status in July 2020 and is currently in the second of a 4-year reclassification period. In each of the 16 years that the NCAA released graduation data, W&M ranked first out of all public colleges and universities in the Federal Graduation Rate (FGR).
In addition to the Federal Graduation Rate reporting, NCAA Division I calculates a separate graduation metric called the Graduation Success Rate (GSR). W&M was also exceptional with department score of 93%. The GSR differs from the FGR by also including students who transfer into an institution, and by removing athletes who transfer out in good academic standing. The NCAA's overall single-year rate for the GSR held steady at 90% for the second-straight year.
W&M had 11 teams report a 100% GSR. That list includes four teams who have achieved a perfect GSR every year, including men's and women's gymnastics, men's tennis and women's golf. The men's golf team had a perfect score for the sixth year in a row and the women's soccer team was honored for the fifth year in a row. Men's basketball and women's lacrosse were both on the perfect list for the fourth year in a row, while women's swimming and women's tennis both were noted for the third consecutive year. Finally, the men's cross country and track & field teams earned a perfect GSR for the second year in a row. In total, 18 of the Tribe's 19 programs (cross country and track and field are combined) had GSRs of 90 or higher.
The data above is covering the cohort of students who began higher education in the fall of 2014 and the four-year average of students who first enrolled between the fall of 2011 through the fall of 2014.
