Student-Athlete Academic Services | June 14, 2022

LOS ANGELES — USC's cumulative 21-team multiyear 2022 NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 988 is the school's best ever and is the eighth consecutive ranking that Troy hit an all-time high, according to data that was released today (June 14).

The NCAA did not release its annual scorecard of academic achievement for all Division I teams last year (2021), taking a one-year hiatus due to the pandemic. USC's 2020 APR score was 985. 

Seventeen Trojan sports posted a 2022 APR that equaled or exceeded their previous score, while 10 teams set or equaled their all-time best APR and 16 USC squads had an APR that was above or equal to the national Division I average for their sport. 

A team's APR accounts for eligibility, retention and graduation to generate a measure of academic performance. Each year, the APR creates a snapshot of a team's academic success as it tracks the progress of each student-athlete on scholarship. The 2022 APR is a multiyear rate based on scores from the 2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21 academic years. APR scores below 930 lead to penalties that include practice restrictions, playing season reductions and post-season ineligibility. The NCAA began tracking APR in 2004-05. 

"We are proud of our student-athletes for exceeding their already high standards with another record year of academic excellence," said Dr. Denise Kwok, USC's executive senior associate athletic director in charge of student-athlete development. "The collaboration between faculty, campus partners, coaches, and the academic support staff in the Stevens Academic Center has been instrumental in our student-athletes' academic success." 

Thirteen Trojan teams had at least a 990 APR, including six at 1000 (men's tennis, men's water polo, women's beach volleyball, women's cross country, women's golf and women's track). It was the seventh consecutive ranking that women's cross country hit the 1000 mark, while women's golf did so for the fifth straight time and women's track for the second time in a row.  Men's tennis hit 1000 for the first time in 14 rankings and men's water polo scored 1000 for the first time ever.  Women's beach volleyball, one of USC's newest sports, was at 1000 for the fourth time in its five all-time rankings. 

Besides those six squads that recorded a perfect 1000 mark, the seven other USC teams this year with at least a 990 APR were men's golf (998), baseball (997), women's soccer (997), men's volleyball (996), men's track (995), women's rowing (993) and women's tennis (992). 

USC's 17 squads that equaled or exceeded their APR score from 2020 were: women's tennis (+22 points) men's basketball (+21), men's water polo (+19), men's swimming (+14), baseball (+10), women's volleyball (+10), women's swimming (+8), women's beach volleyball (+7), men's tennis (+6), women's soccer (+6), football (+5), women's rowing (+5), women's basketball (same), women's cross country (same), women's golf (same), women's track (same) and women's water polo (same). 

The 10 teams that set or equaled all-time high APRs: men's tennis (1000), men's water polo (1000), women's beach volleyball (1000), women's cross country (1000), women's golf (1000), women's track (1000), baseball (997), men's basketball (988), men's swimming (986) and football (975). 

Football's all-time high 975 APR was two points better than the program's previous best and is the fourth consecutive ranking with at least a 970 APR. Men's basketball's 988 APR is 15 points better than its previous best, while men's water polo's 1000 APR is six points better and men's swimming's 986 is one point better. 

USC's 16 teams whose multiyear APR exceeded or equaled the national Division I average for their sport were:  baseball, men's basketball, women's beach volleyball, women's cross country, football, men's golf, women's golf, women's rowing, women's soccer, men's swimming, men's tennis, women's tennis, men's volleyball, men's water polo, men's track and women's track. 
In the 2020-21 single-year calculation that goes into the overall multiyear APR score, 16 USC teams registered a perfect 1000 score (baseball, men's basketball, men's golf, men's swimming, men's tennis, men's track, men's volleyball, men's water polo, women's beach volleyball, women's cross country, women's golf, women's rowing, women's soccer, women's tennis, women's track and women's volleyball). 

No USC sport was close to the NCAA APR of 930 that leads to penalties. In fact, all USC teams were at least 45 points above that baseline standard.
 
USC's NCAA Graduation Success Rate of 92 percent — announced in December 2021 — also set a new all-time high for the eighth consecutive time.