Laramie, Wyo. (Dec. 3, 2021) -- University of Wyoming Athletics' teams have once again posted outstanding Graduation Success Rates (GSRs) in the most recent data released by the NCAA. Nine of 13 Wyoming Athletics' teams matched or exceeded the national average GSR for their sport. Three other teams posted a 90 percent or higher graduation rate for the most recent graduation period measured by the NCAA. And 91 percent of all UW student-athletes are graduating, which is one point higher than the national average of 90 percent for all NCAA Division I student-athletes.
The data released by the NCAA reflected the percentage of NCAA Division I student-athletes who entered college as freshmen in 2014-15 and went on to earn degrees within six years. Division I student-athletes across the nation continue to graduate at their highest rate in the 20 years the data has been tracked, according to the latest Graduation Success Rate data announced on Dec. 2, 2021. The overall national single-year rate held steady at last year's rate of 90%.
Overall combining all sports, 91 percent of University of Wyoming student-athletes who began college as freshmen in 2014-15 graduated within six years. That marked the second consecutive year that UW student-athletes graduated at a 91 percent rate.
Of Wyoming's teams, nine of 13 UW teams matched or exceeded the national NCAA Division I Graduation Success Rate for their sport. Those nine teams included: men's basketball, women's basketball, women's cross country and track and field, football, men's golf, men's swimming and diving, tennis, volleyball and wrestling.
Three other UW teams (women's golf, soccer and women's swimming and diving) all achieved GSRs of 90 percent or higher and the only reason they didn't match or exceed the national average for their sports was because of the exceptionally high national graduation rate for each of their sports.
A note on the data, Wyoming Athletics offers 17 sports but for the purposes of the NCAA GSR data the NCAA combines men's cross country, indoor track and field and outdoor track and field into one sport and also combines women's cross country, indoor track and field and outdoor track and field into one sport.
"This year's data continues to show that over 90 percent of our student-athletes are graduating and the vast majority of our teams are graduating their student-athletes at higher rates than their peers across the country," said
Tom Burman, University of Wyoming Director of Athletics. "This is the second consecutive year that we are graduating 91 percent of our student-athletes. That consistency indicates that the academic programs we have in place to assist our student-athletes are working.
"This kind of academic success also speaks to the quality of young men and women who our coaching staffs recruit, and speaks to the hard work that our student-athletes put in to achieve a college degree. In the end, earning a college degree should be the primary goal for all of our student-athletes."
What follows is a breakdown of the University of Wyoming Athletics' teams by sport and how each sport compared to the national NCAA Division I Graduation Success Rate for their sport.
Breakdown by Sport of How UW Athletics Teams' Graduation Success Rates Compare Nationally
Wyoming's National NCAA Division I
NCAA Sport Graduation Success Rate by Sport Graduation Success Rate by Sport
Men's Basketball 100% (Exceeded National GSR) 84%
Women's Basketball 100% (Exceeded National GSR) 92%
Men's Golf 100% (Exceeded National GSR) 91%
Tennis 100% (Exceeded National GSR) 96%
Volleyball 100% (Exceeded National GSR) 94%
Men's Swimming/Diving 96% (Exceeded National GSR) 91%
Women's Swimming/Diving 94% (Reached 90% GSR) 96%
Women's Cross Country/Track 91% (Matched National GSR) 91%
Women's Golf 90% (Reached 90% GSR) 96%
Soccer 90% (Reached 90% GSR) 95%
Football 87% (Exceeded National GSR) 80%
Wrestling 83% (Exceeded National GSR) 82%
Men's Cross Country/Track 82% (Only 2% Below National GSR) 84%
