The NCAA released the Division I Institution’s 2022 Academic Progress Report (APR) scores on June 14. The Division I Board has suspended the publication of these scores for one year in response to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on schools. This year’s report summarizes APR data for the last four grades.
The NCAA implemented the APR system in 2003, holding Division I educational institutions accountable for student athletes’ academic progress. The system utilizes team-based metrics that assess academic qualifications, retention, and graduations. A single value is then calculated to give the university a clear picture of the success of the academic culture. The NCAA will generate this single number at the end of each grade.
The minimum APR score required is 930. If the program fails to reach this benchmark, a penalty will be imposed. The severity of the penalty depends on whether it is a first-time or recurring violation. To address the academic shortcomings of the Division I sports team, the NCAA can choose to approve post-season sanctions or limit scholarship funding. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Division I Board of Directors has decided to suspend the penalties for the past two years. Sanctions will be resumed in 2023.
Regardless of the outage, the threat of sanctions does not apply to men’s and women’s swimming and diving programs, as everything has exceeded the benchmark since the 2020-2021 school year. In fact, 51 of the 194 women’s swimming and diving programs achieved a full APR score of 1000. Fifteen of the 131 male teams also scored full scores.
according to National and sports group APR averages and trendsWomen’s swimming averages 993 for four years in golf and beach volleyball, ranking fourth in the nation. Men’s swimming is also ranked 4th with an average of 986 for 4 years, along with tennis, ice hockey, lacrosse and volleyball.
| Average APR for women’s teams by sport | Average APR for men’s teams by sport | ||||
| 1. Skiing | 1. Gymnastics | ||||
| 2. Gymnastics | 2. Golf | ||||
| 2. Lacrosse | 2. Rifle (co-education) | ||||
| 4. Golf | 4. Tennis | ||||
| 4. Beach volleyball | 4. Ice hockey | ||||
| 4. Swimming and diving | 4. Lacrosse | ||||
| 7. Field hockey | 4. Volleyball | ||||
| 8. Tennis | 4. Swimming and diving | ||||
| 9. Soccer | 9. Water polo | ||||
| 9. Rowing | 10. Fencing | ||||
| 9. Cross-country | 11. Skiing | ||||
| 12. Ice hockey | 11. Cross-country | ||||
| 12. Volleyball | 13. Soccer | ||||
| 14. Softball | 14. Baseball | ||||
| 14. Water polo | 15. Wrestling | ||||
| 14. Fencing | 16. Athletics | ||||
| 17. Athletics | 17. Football (FBS) | ||||
| 18. Basketball | 18. Basketball | ||||
| 19. Bowling | 19. Football (FCS) |
Of the 32 NCAA Division I conferences, the Patriot League has the highest APR ranking calculated from all sports. The Patriot League’s four women-American, Corgate, Holy Cross, Lafayette-and two men-Corrugate and Lafayette-swimming and diving programs have earned a perfect multi-year score of 1000.
NCAA Conference 2020-2021 APR ranked by male and female swimming and diving teams
| meeting | April for women | Number of schools | Top school | Top APR | meeting | Men’s APR | Number of schools | Top school | Top APR |
| 1. Independence | 1000 | 2 | Loyola Merry Mount & Pepperdine | 1000 | 1. Ivy League | 993 | 8 | Colombia & Harvard | 1000 |
| 2. Big East | 998 | 7 | Butler, Georgetown, Providence, Seton Hall, and UConn | 1000 | 2. Patriot League | 992 | Ten | Colgate & Lafayette | 1000 |
| 3. Colonial Movement Association | 997 | 7 | Drexel, Wilmington, NC, William & Mary | 1000 | 3.ACC | 991 | 12 | Miami (Florida) & Notre Dame | 1000 |
| 4.ACC | 996 | 12 | Duke, North Carolina State University, UNC, Notre Dame | 1000 | 3. Big 12 | 991 | 3 | TCU & UT Austin | 991 |
| 4. Conference USA | 996 | 6 | FIU, Marshall, Rice | 1000 | 3. Big East | 991 | Five | Providence & Villanova | 1000 |
| 6. Atlantic 10 | 995 | 11 11 | Davidson, Fordham, George Mason, and URI | 1000 | 3. Big Ten | 991 | 8 | Purdue | 1000 |
| 6. CCSA | 995 | 9 | Bellarmine, Gardner-Webb, UNC Asheville, and UNF | 1000 | 7. Northeast | 990 | Five | Long island | 1000 |
| 6. Mid-American | 995 | 8 | BSU, Ohio, and Akron | 1000 | 8. Western Athletic | 988 | 6 | Seattle | 996 |
| 6. Patriot League | 995 | Ten | AU, Colgate, Holy Cross, Lafayette | 1000 | 9. Pac-12 | 987 | 6 | Arizona | 994 |
| 10. Eastern United States | 994 | 7 | Stony Brook & VMI | 1000 | 10. Eastern United States | 986 | Five | Binghamton | 1000 |
| 10. Big Ten | 994 | 12 | Ohio | 1000 | 10. CCSA | 986 | Five | Bellermine | 1000 |
| 10. Missouri Valley | 994 | 8 | UNI & Valparaiso | 1000 | 10. Southeast | 986 | Ten | Kentucky | 997 |
| 10. Southeast | 994 | 12 | Kentucky | 998 | 13. AAC | 985 | 2 | SMU | 990 |
| 14. Big 12 | 993 | Five | TCU | 998 | 13. Atlantic 10 | 985 | 8 | Davidson | 995 |
| 14. Ivy League | 993 | 8 | Colombia, Dartmouth, Harvard | 1000 | 15. Mid-American | 983 | 6 | Valparaiso | 1000 |
| 16. AAC | 992 | Four | Tulane | 997 | 16. Mountain Pacific Sports Federation | 982 | 7 | UCSD | 1000 |
| 16. Mountain Pacific Sports Federation | 992 | 9 | Cal Poly, UC Davis, UCSD, and UCSB | 1000 | 17. Colonial Movement Association | 980 | Five | William & Mary | 992 |
| 16. Pac-12 | 992 | 8 | ASU and Utah | 1000 | 18. Horizon League | 974 | 7 | IUPUI | 983 |
| 19. Summit League | 990 | Five | Denver | 997 | 18. MAAC | 974 | 9 | Fairfield | 995 |
| 19. Western Athletic | 990 | 8 | Seattle | 1000 | 18. Summit League | 974 | Four | Eastern Illinois | 980 |
| 21. Mountain West | 989 | 9 | CSU | 998 | |||||
| 21. Northeast | 989 | Ten | Bryant | 1000 | |||||
| 23. Horizon League | 987 | 7 | IUPUI | 997 |
ACC’s men’s and women’s swimming and diving programs earned the highest APR scores in the Power 5 conference. The other four are Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, and SEC.
The 2022 NCAA Champion Virginia Women earned a 998 APR score at the end of the 2020-2021 school year. Texas Longhorns, who finished second overall, achieved 994, and Stanford women, who finished third, scored 992.
On the men’s side, Cal Golden Bears, who took first place in the 2022 NCAA Championship, scored 990 points. Second place Texas scored 991 points and third place Florida scored 985 points.
You can see NCAAAPR database Find the APR score for the Division I Swimming Program from a particular grade within the last 20 years.
