How Did NSU Fare?

Student athletes at Nicholls State University are excelling in the classroom, according to information released by the National Collegiate Athletic Association on the Academic Progress Rates. The study included over 6,000 Division I teams.

Nicholls’ athletics teams were among the majority in Division I, and the only APR sanction-free university in the Southland Conference.

“We are delighted that our teams continue to improve academically,” said athletics director Rob Bernardi. “Our escalating APR scores are a clear indication of our progress.”

The APR is part of an academic reform package, which concentrates on retention and eligibility, and was established by the NCAA to improve student athletes’ classroom performance and graduation rate.

Each academic year, all Division I teams calculate their APRs based on scholarship-holding student athletes’ eligibility, retention and graduate numbers. An APR of 925 translates to an NCAA graduation success rate of approximately 60 percent. Teams that score below 925 can lose up to 10 percent of their scholarships.

Penalties become more severe each year a team fails to achieve NCAA-established benchmarks.

“By reorganizing academic services under the authority of our academic affairs unit, and by adding staff, we have been able to make significant progress in the quality and delivery of academic support services to our student athletes,” Bernardi said.

University president Dr. Stephen Hulbert said the NCAA report “is another positive step toward the continued improvement of the academic quality of Nicholls students.”