66 NCAA Division I Swimming & Diving Programs Record Perfect APR Scores

The NCAA released the 2022 Academic Progress Report (APR) scores for Division I institutions on June 14th. The Division I Board of Directors issued a one-year hiatus for the public announcement of these scores in response to the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on schools. This year’s report features a compilation of APR data from the last 4 academic years.

The NCAA implemented the APR system in 2003 to hold Division I institutions accountable for their student-athletes’ academic progress. The system utilizes a team-based metric that evaluates academic eligibility rates, retention rates, and graduation numbers. A single value is then calculated to give colleges and universities a clear idea of their academic culture’s success. The NCAA produces this single number at the end of each academic year.

The minimum APR score required is 930. If a program should fail to reach this benchmark, it will be penalized. The penalties’ severity depends on whether it is a first-time or recurring offense. To address a Division I sports team’s academic shortcomings, the NCAA can choose to authorize postseason sanctions or restrict scholarship funding. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Division I Board of Directors has voted to suspend penalties for the last 2 academic years. Sanctions are expected to resume in 2023.

Regardless of the suspension, the threat of sanctions does not apply to the men’s and women’s swimming & diving programs since they all surpassed the benchmark after the 2020-2021 academic year. In fact, 51 out of the 194 women’s swimming & diving programs achieved a perfect APR score of 1000. 15 out of the 131 men’s teams earned a perfect score as well.

According to the National and Sport-Group APR Averages and Trends, women’s swimming ranks 4th across the nation tied with golf and beach volleyball at a 4-year APR average of 993. Men’s swimming also ranks 4th alongside tennis, ice hockey, lacrosse, and volleyball with a 4-year APR average of 986.

    Out of the 32 NCAA Division I conferences, the Patriot League has the highest APR ranking calculated from all sports. 4 women’s – American, Colgate, Holy Cross, and Lafayette – and 2 men’s – Colgate and Lafayette – swimming and diving programs from the Patriot League received perfect multi-year scores of 1000.

NCAA Conferences Ranked by Men’s and Women’s Swimming & Diving Teams 2020-2021 APRs

The ACC men’s and women’s swimming and diving programs obtained the highest APR scores among the Power 5 conferences – the other 4 being the Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, and SEC. 

The Virginia women who are the 2022 NCAA champions earned a 998 APR score at the end of the 2020-2021 academic year. The Texas Longhorns who finished second overall achieved a 994, and the Stanford women with a third-place finish got a 992.

On the men’s side, the Cal Golden Bears who took first at the 2022 NCAA Championships scored a 990. Runner-up Texas earned 991, and third-place finisher Florida achieved 985.

You can refer to the NCAA APR database to search any Division I swim program’s APR score from a particular academic year within the last 2 decades.