Ohio State University announced on May 11 that its student-athletes and athletic programs continue to achieve high marks in the classroom, as reflected by recent NCAA Division I Academic Progress Rate (APR) data.
The APR is a measure of academic eligibility, retention, and graduation for scholarship athletes. It offers a real-time look at teams’ academic performance each semester. The most recent scores are based on a multiyear average from the 2021-22 through 2024-25 academic years.
Ohio State posted a cross-sport multiyear APR of 991. Nine out of thirty-one Buckeye sport programs achieved perfect multiyear scores of 1000, while another eight posted at least a score of 990. Ohio State football is one of only two Division I football programs with a perfect score of 1000. The single-year departmental rate for Ohio State was reported as 995 for the 2024-25 year, marking its highest since the 2019-20 season.
John Davidson, faculty athletics representative at Ohio State, said: “Despite increasing volatility in the age of NIL and nearly unlimited transfer in college athletics, Ohio State shows remarkably high and consistent academic achievement across its sports — and continues to strive for improvement.” He continued: “Two-thirds of our teams improved or maintained their single-year APR scores, and 20 of those teams scored 1,000 for the 2024-25 year. This is a testament to the concern for academics that is built into the athletics culture here. Ohio State’s student-athletes, coaches and academic support staff have an unparalleled dedication to success in the classroom.”
Nine programs had perfect multiyear scores: men’s and women’s cross country, men’s golf, field hockey, women’s gymnastics, women’s soccer, women’s tennis and women’s volleyball joined football on this list. Davidson said: “The results of the Buckeye football program will garner the most attention, and rightly so — to attain perfect multiyear rates in three consecutive years sets a standard that few programs across the country could even conceive of meeting.” He added: “But beyond that, we should be exceptionally proud that 29% of Ohio State’s sports teams show perfect multiyear scores in this cycle.”
In addition to team achievements, individual honors were also highlighted during this academic year with over two hundred Buckeyes named to Academic All-Big Ten teams so far; more recognitions are expected later this month. A total of eight hundred four were recognized as Scholar-Athletes by Ohio State itself; more than two hundred current or former student-athletes received degrees during autumn or spring commencement ceremonies held on May 11.
Other notable points include twenty-four programs maintaining or improving their single-year APRs from last year; twenty-three exceeding national averages within their respective sports; ten earning top-ten percent rankings nationally within their disciplines; seventeen recording multiyear APRs above nine hundred ninety; overall university performance increased slightly from last cycle’s average according to NCAA research.
The university competes in thirty-six varsity sports—securing numerous Big Ten championships—and supports academics through facilities such as Wexner Center for Arts while pursuing community engagement initiatives like pediatric cancer research fundraising according to The Ohio State University’s official website.
