Orono, Maine -- Four Black Bears teams posted perfect 2020-21 scores of 1,000 in the latest NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) report released by the NCAA on June 14. Field hockey, softball, women's basketball, and women's cross country all achieved perfect scores in the report. Women's cross country posted a perfect four-year average and have now achieved a mark of 1,000 in 16 consecutive reports.
Field hockey matched its highest mark with a 1,000 score for the second time in program history while softball achieved a perfect mark for its fourth consecutive year. Women's basketball has now posted a perfect score in back-to-back reports.
In total, seven programs achieved higher marks than the previous reporting season or matched a high with a perfect score. Men's ice hockey (984) and women's soccer (989) each improved their scores from a year ago, joining field hockey, softball, women's basketball, and women's cross country in improving marks or achieving record highs.
The APR is an annual scorecard of academic achievement calculated for all D-I sports teams nationally. The APR measures eligibility, graduation and retention each semester or quarter and provides a clear picture of the academic performance for each team in each sport. The most recent APRs are multi-year rates based on scores from the 2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20, and 2020-21 academic years.
The APR, or Academic Progress Rate, holds institutions accountable for the academic progress of their student-athletes through a team-based metric that accounts for the eligibility and retention of each student-athlete for each academic term.
The APR is calculated as follows:
- Each student-athlete receiving athletically related financial aid earns one point for staying in school and one point for being academically eligible.
- A team's total points are divided by points possible and then multiplied by 1,000 to equal the team's Academic Progress Rate.
- In addition to a team's current-year APR, its rolling four-year APR is also used to determine accountability.
Teams must earn a four-year average APR of 930 to compete in championships.
-UMaine-
