INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – University of Portland posted a combined 97 percent student-athlete Graduation Success Rate (GSR) in the latest data released by the NCAA on Wednesday, the highest rate in program history. The GSR and Federal Graduation Rate (FGR) data was publicly released for student-athletes who entered college in 2010 among all Division I institutions as part of the annual NCAA Division I Academic Performance Program.

Portland's baseball, men's cross country and track, men's tennis, women's basketball, women's cross country and track, women's soccer and volleyball programs each posted perfect scores, while three of Portland's remaining four sports reported scores that were higher than the national average.

The 2010-11 Federal Graduation Rate for Pilot student-athletes matched that of the University's general student body of 82 percent. The Graduation Success Rate measures graduation rates for the most recent six-year graduating class of students and student-athletes who entered as freshmen in 2010-11.

"University of Portland is an institution dedicated to academic excellence and helping prepare students for the next step in their lives," said University of Portland Vice President for Athletics Scott Leykam. "These metrics are just some of many that we use to gauge and evaluate our progress and it is not surprising that Pilot student-athletes are excelling. We continue to dedicate new resources to student-athlete welfare and our staff, coaches and student-athletes should be proud of the progress and achievement that these results showcase."

The GSR was developed by the NCAA as part of its academic reform initiative as a better measure of student-athlete academic success. The rate holds institutions accountable for transfer students, unlike the Federal Graduation Rate. The GSR also accounts for midyear enrollees and is calculated for every sport.

Institutions are not penalized for outgoing transfer students who leave in good academic standing. The outgoing transfers are included in the GSR cohort of the institution to which they transfer.

The GSR allows student-athletes six years to earn their degree. This year's rate is based on student-athletes who entered college in the fall of 2010, the most recent data available. The rate shows the percentage of those student-athletes who earned a degree by the spring of 2014. The four-year cohort of student-athletes who began college in 2007 through 2011 is also included.

The NCAA began collecting this data on incoming freshmen in 1995. This year marks the 17th year that GSR data has been collected and analyzed.