Iowa State University Athletics
Cyclone Student-Athletes Excel In Classroom
05.06.2025 | Athletics
AMES, Iowa – Iowa State student-athletes continue to demonstrate excellence in the classroom, establishing a school record multi-year institutional Academic Progress Rate (APR) score of 990 and registering the second-highest single-year (991) score in school history, according to data released today by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The multi-year rate is calculated based upon the 2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23 and 2023-24 academic years, while the one-year score was generated from the 2023-24 academic year.
"Iowa State's strong APR data continues to reflect the dedication of our student-athletes to classroom achievement and the support that they receive from our coaches and staff to ensure that their academic work remains a top priority," said ISU Associate Athletics Director for Academic Services Amber Giese. "We recognize and appreciate the key role that Iowa State's faculty and staff play in helping our student-athletes achieve success in the classroom, too."
ISU's multi-year institutional APR average of 990, a one-point improvement over its 2022-23 mark, ranked fourth in the Big 12 behind Cincinnati (995), Arizona State (991) and UCF (991). Iowa State's multi-year average was also six points higher than the NCAA Division I average of 984 and marked the ninth-consecutive year its multi-year APR score either set or matched a new school-record. All-told, 15 of ISU's 16 teams are at or above the national multi-year average in their respective sport.
Kansas (989), West Virginia (989), Arizona (988), Colorado (987), Oklahoma State (987), Baylor (986), Kansas State (984), Texas Tech (984), Utah (984), Houston (983) and BYU (977) rounded out the most-recent Big 12's multi-year APR ranking.
The NCAA annually honors teams earning multi-year APRs in the Top 10 percent of all squads in each sport, and two Cyclone squads, women's basketball (1000) and football (991), were lauded for the first time since the organization's Public Recognition Award program started, to push ISU's all-time total to 28 such honors in 11 different sports.
Two ISU programs led the Big 12 Conference in multi-year rates—women's basketball (1000) and women's swimming & diving (998), while football (991) and men's track & field (990) both ranked second in the conference.
Eleven ISU teams registered perfect single-year scores of 1000—men's basketball, men's cross country, football, men's track & field, women's basketball, women's cross country, women's golf, women's swimming & diving, soccer, softball and volleyball, while 10 of those programs either improved or posted the same multi-year rate from a year ago.
The four-year Academic Progress Rate national average for Division I teams remained steady at 984 this year, as the division marked the 21st year of APR data collection. During those 21 years, overall student-athlete academic success has risen substantially.
Each academic year, every Division I sports team's APR is calculated using a simple and consistent formula. Scholarship student-athletes can earn 1 point for staying on course for a degree in their chosen major and 1 point for being retained (or graduating) at the end of each academic term. For schools that do not offer athletics scholarships, recruited student-athletes are tracked.
Iowa State's Multi-Year APR Scores (2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23 & 2023-24 Academic Years):
Men's Programs: Basketball: 988; Cross Country: 991; Football: 991; Golf: 993; Outdoor Track and Field: 990; Wrestling: 987.
Women's Programs: Basketball: 1000; Cross Country: 987; Golf: 989; Gymnastics: 986; Soccer: 980; Softball: 992; Swimming & Diving: 998; Tennis: 990; Outdoor Track & Field: 984; Volleyball: 995.
