INDIANAPOLIS—For the seventh straight year Villanova Athletics remains in the upper echelon of Division I institutions for the levels of academic achievement by its student-athletes. An important milestone was reached this week as the NCAA marked the 20th anniversary of collecting Academic Progress Rate (APR) data for Division I schools. In data released publicly on Tuesday afternoon, Villanova had 13 of its varsity sport programs recorded a perfect 1000 multi-year APR score. This is the seventh straight year in which the Wildcats have had at least 10 teams earn a perfect score. The overall multi-year APR score for Villanova's varsity sport programs increased by a point to 997 in Tuesday's data reveal.
The 13 sport programs to achieve a 1000 multi-year score include eight women's programs and five men's teams. Highlighting the list are women's tennis, golf and water polo who have all posted 1000 scores for at least 10 consecutive years. Women's tennis is riding an 11-year streak with a 1000 score, followed by golf and water polo at 10 straight years apiece. The rest of the list of the Wildcats top performing teams includes men's basketball, women's cross country, women's track & field, field hockey, men's lacrosse, rowing, women's soccer, softball, men's swimming & diving and men's tennis.
Villanova's performance in the APR program stands out on a national level and among other BIG EAST schools. Only seven teams nationwide had at least 13 sport programs earn a perfect 1000 score in Tuesday's data reveal, with the Wildcats one of the seven and among only four institutions outside the Ivy League to reach that number. Villanova once again led all BIG EAST schools with 11 sports that compete in the conference earning a 1000 score. In men's basketball and men's lacrosse, the Wildcats were the only BIG EAST school with a 1000 score. Villanova's conference champion football team posted a 982 multi-year score and was tied for the second-highest rate among CAA Football teams.
During the 20 years that the NCAA has collected APR data, overall student athlete academic success has risen substantially and the national average for Division I teams remained steady at 984 in this year's release. Villanova had 21 of its 22 sport programs post a score above the overall national average, with an equal number having a score above their own sport's national average. The overall score for Villanova Athletics is 13 points above the overall national average.
Each year, every Division I sports team's APR is calculated using a simple and consistent formula. Scholarship student-athletes can earn one point for staying on course for a degree in their chosen major and one point for being retained (or graduating) at the end of each academic term. Multi-year APR scores provide a four-year snapshot of each sport's academic success.
In addition to excelling at the highest levels of academic achievement nationwide, Villanova has continued to stand out for its success in athletic competition. Over the past four years the Wildcats have won 15 conference team championships and produced 44 individual conference champions, not to mention earning 122 all-conference honors and setting 12 school records. Twenty different teams competed in their conference tournaments at least once during the past four years, while 12 teams combined to make 32 national postseason appearances.
In December 2023, Villanova Athletics matched a department record with a 99 percent score in another NCAA metric – Graduation Success Rate (GSR) – and had 14 sports with a 100 percent GSR.
