Nov. 18, 2009

LAS VEGAS - UNLV's student-athlete graduation numbers continue to rise according to the most recent data collected by the NCAA using the federal calculation for graduation rates, which were released Wednesday by the NCAA.

UNLV has seen its Graduation Success Rate increase in each year it has been tracked, climbing to 68 percent in 2009, which is the most recent year used in compiling the GSR. The first GSR was released in 2005 and was 53 percent for UNLV, followed by 56 percent in 2006, 63 percent in 2007 and 66 percent in 2008.

"It's great to see our graduation rates continue to rise because of the hard work of our student-athletes, coaches, academic advisors, the university community and the athletics department," Interim Athletics Director Jerry Koloskie said. "Academics are a focal point of our department and these numbers continue to prove it."

The GSR was developed by the NCAA as part of its academic reform initiative to more accurately assess the academic success of student-athletes. The GSR holds institutions accountable for transfer students, unlike the federal graduation rate, and the GSR also accounts for midyear enrollees.

The data released Wednesday was based on the fifth year of GSR data, for students who began full-time enrollment at any college during the 2002-03 school year and received athletic aid in their first year at UNLV.

The most recent GSR data are based on the four entering freshman classes in Division I from 1999-2000 through 2002-03. This year marks the fifth year that GSR data have been collected. The NCAA began collecting GSR data with the entering freshman class of 1995. The latest entering class for which data are available is 2002.