Collegiate Water Polo Association Reigns Supreme in Women's Water Polo Academic Achievement Per Latest National Collegiate Athletic Association Graduation Success Rate Report

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BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — The best women’s water polo conference of Division I institutions is on the East Coast as the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) leads the Golden Coast Conference (GCC), Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF), Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), Big West Conference and Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) per the latest National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Graduation Success Rate (GSR) Report.

According to Graduation Success Rate (GSR) data based on those who entered college in 2013 and graduated within six years, CWPA student-athletes from Brown University, Bucknell University, George Washington University, Harvard University, Princeton University and the University of Michigan graduated at a 97.17 percent rate. Bucknell, George Washington, Harvard and Princeton each posted perfect 100 scores.

Overall, 15 schools netted perfect scores as Loyola Marymount University and Santa Clara of the Golden Coast, Indiana University and Stanford University of the MPSF, Long Beach State University and the University of California-Davis of the Big West along with Marist College, St. Francis College Brooklyn, Siena College, the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) and Wagner College of the MAAC also garnered perfect scores with 100 percent graduation success rates.

Brown (93) and Michigan (90) join Bucknell, George Washington, Harvard and Princeton in combining for the CWPA’s 97.17 score. Saint Francis University – the seventh Division I women’s program in the CWPA – does not factor into the calculation as the Red Flash did not begin competing as a varsity program until 2017.

The MAAC comes in at No. 2 among the conferences as Marist, St. Francis Brooklyn, Siena and Wagner join Iona College (80) for a 96.67 score. Villanova University did not report graduation success rate information and is not calculated in the MAAC score.

The Golden Coast Conference rates at No. 3 with Loyola Maryount and Santa Clara joining California Baptist University (93), San Diego State University (97), California Baptist University (93) and University of the Pacific (89) in combining for a 95.8 score. Fresno Pacific University and Azusa Pacific University are not factored into the score.

The Big West group of Long Beach State, UC-Davis, California State University-Northridge (94), the University of Hawaii (93), the University of California-Irvine (92) and the University of California-Santa Barbara (86) rate at No. 4 with a 94.17 score, while the MPSF programs of Indiana, Stanford, the University of Southern California (95), the University of California-Los Angeles (94), Arizona State University (93), San Jose State University (92) and the University of California (79) come in at No. 5 with a 93.29 score.

In total, the 30 women’s water polo programs combined for an average score of 95.33, far exceeding the 90 percent GSR for all Division I student-athletes with only Pacific (89), UC-Santa Barbara (86), Iona (80) and California (79) falling below the national average for all sports.

The Division I Board of Directors created the GSR in 2002 in response to Division I college and university presidents who wanted data that more accurately reflected the mobility of college students beyond what the Federal Graduation Rate (FGR) measures. The federal rate counts as an academic failure any student who leaves a school, no matter whether he or she enrolls at another school. Also, the federal rate does not recognize students who enter school as transfer students.

When the Graduation Success Rate was created nearly two decades ago, then-NCAA President Myles Brand set an aspirational goal of 80%. Student-athletes first surpassed that goal with the release of the rates in 2011.

“The commitment of Division I college athletes to the classroom is incredible, and we celebrate their academic success,” NCAA President Mark Emmert said. “To see 90% of student-athletes accomplish the ultimate goal of college graduation is a testament to their hard work and dedication. We must also support initiatives that help the remaining 10% of student-athletes earn their degrees. The NCAA applauds the achievements of student-athletes and will continue to support their goals in the classroom, in competition and in life.”

Division I members have adopted academic rule and policy changes intended to improve the academic performance of student-athletes. The success of those rule changes is clear: Over the past 19 years, 33,505 more college athletes graduated than would have had the GSR remained at 74%, the GSR the year it was introduced.

Just in 2020, the increase accounts for 3,872 more student-athlete graduates.

The Federal Graduation Rate, however, remains the only measure to compare student-athletes with the general student body. Using this measure, student-athletes graduate at the same rate as the student body: 69%. Both college athletes and their peers in the student body increased by 1 point in the past year. Due to several programs not reporting FGR information, a comparative calculation among women’s water polo sponsoring institutions is not declarative for success.