Flames achieve 89% student-athlete graduation rate

UIC’s Department of Intercollegiate Athletics has matched its highest Graduation Success Rate (GSR) in school history. The student-athlete cohort that began in fall 2013 graduated at a rate of 89%, equaling the mark the Flames recorded in 2007.

This is the fourth-consecutive year that UIC has increased its student-athlete graduation rate. Five UIC teams earned perfect 100% graduation rates: men’s soccer, women’s soccer, women’s swimming and diving, women’s tennis and volleyball.

“We are incredibly proud of the outstanding academic achievement of Flames student-athletes,” UIC Director of Athletics Michael Lipitz said. “Congratulations to our recent student-athlete graduates and special thanks to our faculty, coaches and staff who supported them each and every day.”

Flames volleyball maintained a perfect 100% graduation rate for the 10th straight year. The women’s soccer, women’s swimming and diving and women’s tennis programs each earned perfect marks for the second-consecutive year. The men’s soccer team posted the greatest year-over-year increase of all UIC programs with its eight-point rise to a GSR of 100%.

“I am impressed by and proud of the dedicated work our student-athletes, staff and coaches put into the mission of graduating UIC Flames,” said Lisa Hehman, UIC associate athletics director for academic services. “There is no better feeling than witnessing years of work, learning and growth culminate in the life-changing achievement of graduation.”

What is the Graduation Success Rate (GSR)?
The NCAA developed the Graduation Success Rate (GSR) to more fully reflect the academic achievement of student-athletes.
The traditional Federal Graduation Rate (FGR) compiled by the U.S. Department of Education is used as an indicator of academic success for all college students. For student-athletes, it measures the cohort of first-time, full-time freshman on athletics aid who enter in the fall semester and graduate within six years of entering their original four-year institution. UIC’s Federal Graduation Rate (FGR) for student-athletes is 74%, which is more than 13 percentage points higher than UIC’s general student population.

Calculation of the GSR begins with the group the federal methodology identifies, but then it takes important steps to track student-athletes the federal methodology omits. The GSR includes incoming transfer student-athletes who receive athletics aid, as well as freshmen on athletics aid who enroll at midyear rather than in fall. The GSR also does not penalize colleges whose student-athletes transfer in good academic standing, as those student-athletes are effectively moved into another college’s cohort.