MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia University's combined varsity athletic teams have an Academic Progress Rate (APR) score of 985 according to data released today by the NCAA. The 985 score is WVU's highest in the 15 years of the NCAA Academic Performance Program.
 
WVU's average APR score of 985 is higher than the NCAA's overall four-year APR average score of 983. WVU's score is up one point from last year's average and 11 points from four years ago.
 
The APR is based upon eligibility and retention of student-athletes on a semester-by-semester basis and is an assessment of real-time academic success. The results of the fall and spring semesters, in a given year, are calculated as that year's APR score and averaged with the respective scores from the previous three years to provide a four-year (multi-year) snapshot of academic achievement.
 
Any student-athlete receiving athletic aid in a varsity sport can earn up to four points per year for being academically eligible and remaining enrolled in the institution. A team's APR is the total points earned on the roster divided by that squad's total possible points, multiplied by 1,000.
           
Teams must achieve a 930 multi-year APR to avoid immediate penalties (involving the possible reduction of practice time and access to postseason competition). The current multi-year APR scores for WVU's varsity teams (2014-15 to 2017-18): baseball 971; men's basketball 1,000; women's basketball 996; cross country 993; football 953; golf 1,000; gymnastics 974; rifle 1,000; rowing 991; men's soccer 987; women's soccer 991; men's swimming and diving 978; women's swimming and diving 979; tennis 1,000; track and field 985; volleyball 960; and wrestling 987.
 
"I would like to congratulate the men's basketball, golf, rifle and tennis programs by posting a four-year APR score of 1,000," Director of Athletics Shane Lyons said. "We continue to post school-best marks each year and have consistently been above the national average. Our continued record score is a testament to our student-athletes, our coaching staffs and our academic support unit. We are proud of the high level of academic success of our student-athletes."