Arkansas’ GSR score continues rise

FAYETTEVILLE — The University of Arkansas athletic program improved another notch in its latest Graduation Success Rate score as released by the NCAA on Wednesday.

The Razorbacks hit a program record of an 88% graduation rate in figures released for student-athletes who enrolled between the 2013-14 through the 2016-17 academic years. That figure is up from 87% the year before and it marked a third consecutive year of program-record graduation numbers.

Arkansas posted its 15th consecutive report with a rate of better than 70% and the department has shown a steady climb in graduation numbers since the NCAA implemented the initiative 19 years ago.

According to a UA release, the latest graduation rate for in-state student athletes was 98%.

The Razorbacks’ 88% rate is among the lowest in the SEC, with many programs reaching 90% or better, including Vanderbilt at 97% and Florida at 95%.

The continued graduation improvement corresponds with some of the best athletic seasons in Arkansas history. The Razorbacks have finishes of seventh, eighth and 13th in the past three Learfield Cup standings.

Arkansas has captured 15

SEC titles in the past three years and 33 over the past six years, both of which lead the conference in those spans.

In the 2022-23 academic year, 72 UA student-athletes received degrees, another 12 earned graduate certificates and the department combined for a 3.2 grade-point average.

“Congratulations to the outstanding Razorback student-athletes who continue to achieve record-breaking success in the classroom and on the fields and courts of athletic competition,” UA Athletic Director Hunter Yurachek said in a statement.

“While we will always cherish the wins and championships achieved in their time as Razorbacks, the lasting legacy of our student-athletes will be as graduates of the University of Arkansas, their names forever inscribed on Senior Walk. I am appreciative of the hard work of our student-athletes and am thankful for the dedicated efforts of our coaches, academic support team and all those who have invested in our mission of Building Champions and Razorbacks for Life.”

The Razorbacks exceeded the NCAA’s Academic Progress Rate in all 19 sports in the latest update, which is more reflective of real-time academic standing, and had a 984.4 mark out of 1000 in all sports. The APR is generally released each May.