PITTSBURGH - Duquesne's 16 varsity athletics teams posted an average Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 979.9 - slightly above the national average of 979 - according to the latest multi-year report released by the National Collegiate Athletic Association on April 20.

Teams must earn a 930 four-year average APR to participate in NCAA championships. A score of 930 or higher puts a program in good standing with the NCAA with 1,000 serving as the maximum score. Every Duquesne athletic program scored above 955 - with 10 programs, including men's and women's basketball as well as football - showing an improvement from last year, in the latest report.

The APR provides a real-time look at a team's academic success each semester by tracking the academic progress of each student-athlete. The APR includes both retention at an institution and academic eligibility in its calculation. The current multi-year APR report covers the 2011-12 through 2014-15 academic years.

The APR is released annually. Teams that do not continually score well may be hit with penalties including practice/financial aid reductions and scholarship losses.

Duquesne's programs have been recognized by the NCAA for placing among the top 10 percent nationally in their respective sports 12 times, the most recent being the men's tennis program which received an NCAA Public Recognition Award for its perfect 1000 score last week.

The goal of the NCAA's academic performance program is improvement, not punishment. Not only does the program ensure accountability for student-athletes, teams and institutions, but also it provides fairness by considering individual circumstances per team and school.

A searchable NCAA database may be found here.

DUQUESNE UNIVERSITY ACADEMIC PROGRESS RATES
(2011-12 thru 2014-15)

Men's Basketball - 955
Women's Basketball - 961
Men's Cross Country - 978
Women's Cross Country - 986
Football - 962
Women's Lacrosse - 983
Women's Rowing - 992
Men's Soccer - 970
Women's Soccer - 983
Women's Swimming - 991
Men's Tennis - 1000
Women's Tennis - 974
Men's Outdoor Track - 988
Women's Outdoor Track - 986
Women's Indoor Track - 986
Women's Volleyball - 984