Maryland's graduation report card
The latest NCAA graduation success rate figures are out, and two Maryland teams – women’s soccer and women’s swimming – recorded perfect, 100-percent scores.
Some other sports, including men’s basketball and football, didn’t fare as well. The team’s coaches said both programs have made progress that is not reflected in the current figures but will be in future years.
The data released this week covers the four freshman classes who entered from 1999 through 2002.
“We’ve graduated eight of our last 10 players and our three seniors are on schedule to graduate, and our underclassmen are doing very well,” men's basketball coach Gary Williams said.
Maryland has said in the past that the rates for men’s basketball were lowered by players leaving to pursue professional careers. Men’s basketball’s rate was 8 percent, men’s tennis was 17 percent, men’s cross country-track was 57 percent and football was 60 percent.
Last year’s announced rates were 10 percent for men’s basketball and 68 percent for football.
“It varies year to year when you have attrition,” football coach Ralph Friedgen said. “I think you have to look at the whole body of work. This year is probably a little lower. Next year I think will be higher.”
The so-called “Graduation Success Rates” counts incoming transfer students and mid-year enrollees. It does not penalize schools for transfers who leave in good standing.
Comments
Does a 10% graduation rate for the men's BBall team mean that out of the 10 guys on the team, 1 graduated or does it mean that out of the past 10 people who left the team, only 1 left due to graduation? That number seems astoundingly low, even considering transfers. We've only had one or two guys leave for the NBA recently.
---FROM JEFF----
Note: others have left and ended up playing professionally overseas.
Posted by: John | November 20, 2009 7:38 AM
8%!!!!! I find this very troubling. This is not an aberration. MD basketball consistently graduates very few of its team members. I thought Maryland had admissions standards -- even for athletes. How is this possible? Even compared to other schools bb teams this is a joke. (FSU is 80%, Clem is 37%, and NCST is 45% -- forget about Duke.) MD is an institution of higher learning. If it can't educate the people it accepts, it needs to make some serious changes.
Posted by: CA Terp Fan | November 20, 2009 8:33 AM
College graduation rates and the rules that govern then were a good thing in 1950!!
Very few well paying professional opportunities existed! Today - you can become a set for life multi-millionaire before you play your first pro game.
And even if you arent good enough for the NFL or NBA, there are other opportunites related to the sports - broadcasting, scouting, etc. Many places where "experience" will mean more than a degree.
Who is the NCAA think its trying to impress or fool?
Of course women's swimming (and other non-revenue sports) are more likely to graduate near 100% of their seniors because there are no professional careers ahead for them.
And what about any school's graduation rate for all their students?
Also today there are so many other ways to develop a career, find hapiness, or just make a lot of cash - that dont require a college degree.
The NCAA is trying to hang on to the false image that its major college sports participants are STUDENT-athletes first and all of this isnt just another profitable big business.
I would say that major colleges and uinversities with major football and basketball programs should probably hope to graduate around 75% of their student-atheltes who stay for four years. Most will benefit from a degree since most wont be playing pro ball but in the end its up to the student-athlete to get thier degree - the universities have given them the free ride and opportunity.
You can lead a horse to water...
Posted by: Terps06 | November 20, 2009 10:48 AM
Other ACC Schools like FSU, Clemson & NC State may have higher graduation rates for b-ball players, but keep in mind that those schools let their players major in “basket weaving” and other extremely challenging scholastic endeavors. At Maryland, the players actually have to take “real” classes and declare “real” majors.
Posted by: Jeff | November 20, 2009 11:31 AM
Who cares about the graduation rate........win a championship!!!
Posted by: Human | November 20, 2009 11:34 AM
Who cares? The school can't control if a kid flunks out or leaves to play professionally, and the school shouldnt' be penalized for it either. This is a stupid stat if you ask me.
Posted by: Mike | November 20, 2009 12:24 PM
It is asinine to compare Maryland's graduation rate to those of FSU, Clemson, and NC State. None of those teams won a national title in the described time frame and none had anywhere near the success on the court by any other measure. Moreover, all three are inferior schools to UMd academically.
A comparison with Duke and UNC, both of which won national championships in that time and are closer to UMd academically, would be reasonable.
Posted by: J. | November 22, 2009 12:21 AM
Correction: UNC did not win an NCAA title between 1999 and 2002 (the period where this grad rate was measured), but was at least nationally competitive, unlike FSU, CU, or NCSU.
Between the three of those teams, there was ONE NCAA tournament appearance: NC State in 2002. And they were eliminated in the second round. By comparison, UNC made it to the tourney three of those four years (1999, 2000, and 2001), including a FF appearance in 2000.
Posted by: J. | November 22, 2009 12:32 AM