Cal Poly Athletics Soars Past Academic Progress Rate Records
6/14/2022 12:22:00 PM | General
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- Fifteen of Cal Poly's 20 intercollegiate athletic teams compiled perfect 1,000 scores for the 2020-21 academic year in Academic Progress Rate reports released by the NCAA on Tuesday, shattering the record of 10 achieved two years ago.
In addition, seven of the Mustang programs have achieved multi-year rates at 1,000 covering the last four academic years for which figures are available (2017-18 through 2020-21). That's three above the total in the last APR report two years ago.
Six teams showed improvement in their APR scores from the 2018-19 academic year to 2020-21 and two others maintained their perfect 1,000 scores. Also, 11 Cal Poly athletic programs improved their multi-year scores over the same period.
Cal Poly's overall APR rate, which held steady at 985 during both the 2018-19 and 2020-21 academic years, leaped to 994 in Tuesday's report. The national average is 984, an improvement of one point over the previous reporting period.
"Cal Poly should be considered among the best in the nation in the academic performance of our student-athletes," said Mustang director of athletics Don Oberhelman. "These numbers indicate our commitment to academic excellence.
"Our teacher-scholar model is so important at Cal Poly and that philosophy is thriving in our athletic program," Oberhelman added. "Our student-athletes continue to succeed both in the classroom and on the field."
APR scores for the 2019-20 academic year were not released to the public due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The public announcement of APRs returned this spring after the one-year hiatus. However, the Division I Board of Directors approved the continual suspension of APR penalties for an additional year due to the impact of the pandemic.
The Cal Poly squad that showed the most improvement in its APR rate from 2018-19 to 2020-21 was men's swimming and diving with a 56-point increase, followed by men's basketball with 46 points and men's tennis at 36 points. Men's soccer, wrestling and baseball also improved their scores while men's golf and men's cross country maintained their 1,000 scores.
As for the multi-year rates, the most improvement was shown by women's golf at 14 points followed by men's soccer (13) and men's basketball (12).
Women's swimming and diving, men's tennis, women's cross country, women's soccer, women's basketball, softball and men's and women's track and field also improved their multi-year rates, men's cross country held steady and men's golf and women's beach volleyball and indoor volleyball all maintained their perfect 1,000 scores.
All but two of Cal Poly's 20 teams (women's indoor track and field is combined with the outdoor track and field squad) compiled APR rates for the 2020-21 academic year exceeding all of the national average scores in NCAA Division I in their sport.
Seven of Cal Poly's teams -- men's golf, men's track and field, softball, beach volleyball, women's cross country, women's golf and indoor volleyball -- are ranked No. 1 in the Big West Conference for the 2020-21 academic year. In addition, women's swimming and diving is ranked No. 1 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation.
The Mustang football team, which compiled a near-perfect 997 APR for the 2015-16 school year, 978 for the 2017-18 term and 983 for 2018-19, has compiled a four-year rate of 969, five points higher than the national average for Division I football and 10 points ahead of the Football Championship Subdivision average.
Rates are an average of each school's performance for the past four years. National aggregates are based on all teams with usable data at the time of analysis. Each academic year, every Division I sports team across the country calculates its APR using a simple and consistent formula. Each term, scholarship student-athletes can earn one point for remaining eligible and one for staying in school or graduating.
Nationally, the multiyear rate for men's basketball climbed two points to 968 (Cal Poly is at 970) while baseball (977), football (964) and women's basketball (983) remained steady for their four-year averages. The Mustang baseball program has a 972 multi-year rate, football 969 and women's basketball 984.
Prior to the suspension of penalties, teams had to achieve a four-year APR of 930. NCAA members chose the 930 standard because that score predicts, on average, a 50 percent graduation rate for teams at that APR level. Additionally, teams must earn a four-year APR of at least 930 to avoid penalties.
The APR, created to provide more of a real-time measurement of academic success than graduation rates offer, is a team-based metric in which scholarship student-athletes earn one point each term for remaining eligible and one point for staying in school or graduating. Schools that don't offer scholarships track their recruited student-athletes.
In addition, seven of the Mustang programs have achieved multi-year rates at 1,000 covering the last four academic years for which figures are available (2017-18 through 2020-21). That's three above the total in the last APR report two years ago.
Six teams showed improvement in their APR scores from the 2018-19 academic year to 2020-21 and two others maintained their perfect 1,000 scores. Also, 11 Cal Poly athletic programs improved their multi-year scores over the same period.
Cal Poly's overall APR rate, which held steady at 985 during both the 2018-19 and 2020-21 academic years, leaped to 994 in Tuesday's report. The national average is 984, an improvement of one point over the previous reporting period.
"Cal Poly should be considered among the best in the nation in the academic performance of our student-athletes," said Mustang director of athletics Don Oberhelman. "These numbers indicate our commitment to academic excellence.
"Our teacher-scholar model is so important at Cal Poly and that philosophy is thriving in our athletic program," Oberhelman added. "Our student-athletes continue to succeed both in the classroom and on the field."
APR scores for the 2019-20 academic year were not released to the public due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The public announcement of APRs returned this spring after the one-year hiatus. However, the Division I Board of Directors approved the continual suspension of APR penalties for an additional year due to the impact of the pandemic.
The Cal Poly squad that showed the most improvement in its APR rate from 2018-19 to 2020-21 was men's swimming and diving with a 56-point increase, followed by men's basketball with 46 points and men's tennis at 36 points. Men's soccer, wrestling and baseball also improved their scores while men's golf and men's cross country maintained their 1,000 scores.
As for the multi-year rates, the most improvement was shown by women's golf at 14 points followed by men's soccer (13) and men's basketball (12).
Women's swimming and diving, men's tennis, women's cross country, women's soccer, women's basketball, softball and men's and women's track and field also improved their multi-year rates, men's cross country held steady and men's golf and women's beach volleyball and indoor volleyball all maintained their perfect 1,000 scores.
All but two of Cal Poly's 20 teams (women's indoor track and field is combined with the outdoor track and field squad) compiled APR rates for the 2020-21 academic year exceeding all of the national average scores in NCAA Division I in their sport.
Seven of Cal Poly's teams -- men's golf, men's track and field, softball, beach volleyball, women's cross country, women's golf and indoor volleyball -- are ranked No. 1 in the Big West Conference for the 2020-21 academic year. In addition, women's swimming and diving is ranked No. 1 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation.
The Mustang football team, which compiled a near-perfect 997 APR for the 2015-16 school year, 978 for the 2017-18 term and 983 for 2018-19, has compiled a four-year rate of 969, five points higher than the national average for Division I football and 10 points ahead of the Football Championship Subdivision average.
Rates are an average of each school's performance for the past four years. National aggregates are based on all teams with usable data at the time of analysis. Each academic year, every Division I sports team across the country calculates its APR using a simple and consistent formula. Each term, scholarship student-athletes can earn one point for remaining eligible and one for staying in school or graduating.
Nationally, the multiyear rate for men's basketball climbed two points to 968 (Cal Poly is at 970) while baseball (977), football (964) and women's basketball (983) remained steady for their four-year averages. The Mustang baseball program has a 972 multi-year rate, football 969 and women's basketball 984.
Prior to the suspension of penalties, teams had to achieve a four-year APR of 930. NCAA members chose the 930 standard because that score predicts, on average, a 50 percent graduation rate for teams at that APR level. Additionally, teams must earn a four-year APR of at least 930 to avoid penalties.
The APR, created to provide more of a real-time measurement of academic success than graduation rates offer, is a team-based metric in which scholarship student-athletes earn one point each term for remaining eligible and one point for staying in school or graduating. Schools that don't offer scholarships track their recruited student-athletes.
Cal Poly vs. UC Riverside, Softball Highlights -- Mar 28th, 2026 Game 2
Sunday, March 29
Cal Poly vs. UC Riverside, Softball Highlights -- Mar 28th, 2026 Game 1
Sunday, March 29
Cal Poly vs. UC Davis, Baseball Highlights -- Mar 22nd, 2026
Sunday, March 22
Cal Poly vs. UC Davis, Baseball Highlights -- Mar 21st, 2026
Sunday, March 22
