Based on data released by the NCAA Tuesday, UCF has a Graduation Success Rate (GSR) of 95 percent. That mark ties the Knights with Boston College for fifth-best in NCAA Division I (FBS), trailing only private institutions Notre Dame, Stanford, Duke and Northwestern. UCF’s GSR is 11 points above the national average and is also a school record.

“I’m incredibly proud of our Everyday Champion student-athletes, our coaches and the culture of academic excellence they’ve created here at UCF,” UCF Vice President and Director of Athletics Todd Stansbury said. “This is obviously the result of a lot of hard work and a great support system. When you look at the institutions around us in the rankings, that’s a great neighborhood to live in.”

Thirteen of UCF’s 14 programs (women’s cross country, indoor and outdoor track and field are combined as one by the NCAA) are above the national average. Seven Knights programs – men’s golf, men’s tennis, rowing, women’s golf, women’s soccer, women’s tennis and volleyball – had perfect scores of 100 percent.

Nine UCF squads – football, men’s soccer and the seven mentioned above – were ranked No. 1 in the . The Knights football program ranks No. 10 in the nation and owns the third-best GSR among all FBS public institutions in the nation. Twelve of UCF’s 14 programs came in at 90 percent or better.

“The level of achievement our student-athletes have been able to accomplish academically is truly extraordinary,” said Kimya Massey, UCF Associate Athletics Director for Academic Services. “We are competing at the highest level nationally, both on the field and in the classroom. These latest NCAA metrics bear out that reality. Our student-athletes are graduating at an extremely high rate and also developing skills necessary for success in life, which is always the most important goal. We are extremely proud of this milestone. Kudos to the ASSA staff members, who work extremely hard to assist our student-athletes in their endeavors.”

Within the State of Florida, Ů��AV is tops among all NCAA Division I institutions. Florida State ranks second at 84 percent, while Florida and USF are both at 83 percent. In the American Athletic Conference, UCF’s overall rate is also the top mark.

“This is just another example of the evolution and power of the UCF Athletics program and our move to national prominence, not just in competition but in the classroom as well,” Stansbury said. “We believe that graduation is not the end, but the beginning for our Everyday Champions. Our program will be defined by the success of our graduates.”

The GSR data in this report includes student-athletes who first enrolled in 2007. The NCAA Graduation Success Rate is designed to show the proportion of student-athletes who earn a college degree.

UCF’s overall GSR was 89 percent, up four points from last year’s report. The Knights’ percentage was also seven points above the NCAA average of 82 percent.

The Knights rank No. 1 among public institutions in the State of Florida, second overall in the state and tied with Ohio State for 15th in the country among Football Bowl Subdivision institutions. UCF’s GSR also ranks highest among current American Athletic Conference institutions.

Eleven of UCF’s 14 programs (women’s cross country, indoor and outdoor track and field are combined) improved their GSR from the previous year’s report or maintained a 100 percent mark. Eleven of UCF’s programs also came in above the national average for their sport.

Three Knights squads – women’s tennis, women’s basketball and men’s golf – were at a perfect 100 percent. It was the eighth consecutive season for women’s tennis to record a 100-percent score. Women’s soccer recorded the biggest improvement among Knights programs, jumping nine percentage points. Eight Ů��AV programs were at 90 percent or better.

“We have a group of high-achieving, hard-working student-athletes,” said Vice President and Director of Athletics Todd Stansbury. “Our coaches and academic staff promote a culture of academic performance on a daily basis. Our graduation success rate is indicative of the emphasis our student-athletes put on academics.”

The football program finished 12 points above the national average, with an 83-percent mark, compared to 71 percent nationally. It was the seventh consecutive year the football program improved its GSR. Football’s 83 percent was a program-best score. In football, UCF ranks No. 2 among American Athletic Conference schools.

“These numbers are proof that our student-athletes, coaches and academic advisors are doing a great job promoting the goal of graduation,” said Kimya Massey, Associate Athletic Director for Academic Services. “It’s very satisfying to work with a group that puts so much effort toward success in competition and in the classroom.”

The GSR data in this most recent report is for student-athletes who first enrolled in 2006.

The Knights compiled a 3.17 grade-point average for the spring term, the highest student-athlete GPA for a single semester in school history. In addition, UCF student-athletes compiled an average GPA of 3.14 for the 2012-13 academic year, which was also the best mark for the Knights.

“I’m extremely proud of the semester we have had academically and we continue to be strong in this area,” said Kimya Massey, UCF’s Associate Athletic Director for Academic Services and Director of Academic Services for Student-Athletes. “We knew it would be a good term overall, but to break records and continue to push the standard even higher is a credit to our student-athletes and their desire to be excellent in whatever they do. I must also complement the ASSA staff for their constant support and willingness to help our student-athletes achieve their goals.”

UCF student-athletes have now recorded an average GPA of 3.0 or better for 11 consecutive semesters. Twelve of the Knights’ 16 sports programs were at or above a 3.0 for the spring term. Individually, 227 Knights student-athletes recorded a spring term GPA of 3.0 or better. Of that number, 27 earned a perfect 4.0 and 61 were at 3.75 or above.

Knight student-athletes said the UCF academic support personnel and their coaches impress upon them the importance of academics.

“Each member of the Academic Services staff does their best to put the student-athlete first,” women’s tennis player Jenna Doerfler said. “I have had nothing but extremely positive experiences with anyone I have worked with on the staff. The staff has always gone out of their way to help the student-athletes who come to them. My coaches have always made the importance of academics clear to us. We have team academic goals at the beginning of each semester. The coaches and staff do a great job working together with us to make sure we’re on track.”

“I believe our fall GPA motivated us and our academic advisor Sarah Hill pushed us all to do even better,” said women’s basketball player Erika Jones. “Our coaches asked about our schoolwork as often as they could, so that was helpful and greatly appreciated.”

Seven of UCF’s athletic teams set program records for spring term GPAs. Football (2.95), men’s basketball (2.85), women’s basketball (3.14), men’s golf (3.43), men’s soccer (3.29), softball (3.42) and track and field (3.31) all recorded the best spring term GPA in their teams’ histories.

Men’s golf led all teams in the spring with a 3.43 GPA, while the top women’s team was softball at 3.42. The UCF volleyball program continued its department-best streak of semesters at 3.0 or above, achieving that mark for the 12th straight term. Men’s basketball and football added to the records, compiling the best academic year GPAs ever for the two programs.

UCF’s GSR was 85 percent, up two points from last year’s report. The Knights rank No. 1 among public institutions in the State of Florida and second overall in the state. UCF’s GSR also ranks highest among public institutions in Conference USA and is tied for second overall in the league, behind Rice (95 percent).

UCF also compared well with institutions in the BIG EAST Conference, which the Knights will join on July 1, 2013. UCF would currently rank No. 2 in the BIG EAST among public institutions, behind only Rutgers (88 percent). Among all football-playing members of the BIG EAST, the Knights would tie for third, behind Rutgers and Syracuse (87 percent).

“Results like this come from the hard work of our student-athletes, combined with the culture of academic success that our coaches and academic support staff promote on a daily basis,” said Vice President and Director of Athletics Todd Stansbury. “We’re all very proud of what our student-athletes are accomplishing.”

The football program finished 13 points above the national average, with an 81-percent mark, compared to 68 percent nationally. It was the sixth consecutive year the football program improved its GSR. Football’s 81 percent was a program-best score. In football, UCF ranks No. 2 in C-USA and would rank No. 2 among BIG EAST public institutions.

Eleven of UCF’s 16 teams improved their GSR from the previous year’s report, while 11 of them were also above the national average for their sport. Three Knight squads – women’s tennis, softball and men’s golf – were at a perfect 100 percent. It was the seventh consecutive season for women’s tennis to record a 100-percent score. Men’s tennis recorded the biggest improvement among Knights programs, jumping 14 percentage points.

“Graduation is obviously the ultimate goal and this report shows that our student-athletes, coaches and academic advisors are doing a great job promoting academic achievement,” said Kimya Massey, Director of Academic Services for Student-Athletes. “I’m very proud to work with a group that is so dedicated to success in competition and in the classroom.”

Eight of UCF’s 16 teams recorded perfect single-year Academic Progress Rate scores of 1,000. Men’s golf, women’s basketball, women’s cross country, women’s soccer, women’s tennis, women’s indoor track and field, women’s outdoor track and field and women’s volleyball each had scores of 1,000. Four Knights squads posted perfect scores in the previous year’s report.

Meanwhile, 14 of UCF’s programs either improved on their score from the previous report or tallied consecutive perfect marks. In addition to the eight teams previously mentioned, baseball, men’s basketball, football, men’s soccer, men’s tennis and women’s rowing each increased their scores.

Wednesday’s release includes data from the 2010-11 academic year and lists the multi-year APR by sport, which averages the last four reporting years.

While the NCAA does not compile an overall department one-year average, the Knights’ average score for 2010-11 was 985, up 16 points. This is the seventh consecutive year the average APR score of UCF’s 16 sports improved from the previous year. UCF’s overall multi-year average for the entire athletic department was 975.

Ten of UCF’s 16 programs turned in multi-year averages at or above the national average for their respective sports.

“This is a tribute to the hard work of our student-athletes and to our coaches and academic support staff who create an environment for our student athletes to achieve both academically and athletically,” UCF Vice President and Director of Athletics Todd Stansbury said. “As educators, I believe we are developing future leaders through the intercollegiate athletics experience. Results like this serve as an indicator that is happening.”

Director of Academic Services for Student-Athletes Kimya Massey said the credit for the Knights’ academic success belongs mainly to three critical  groups.

“I would attribute our academic success to the amazing level of balance our student-athletes have sustained both on and off the field,” Massey said. “Our coaching staffs have invested in recruiting high-quality student-athletes, who display the character and determination to succeed academically. In addition, the academic advising staff works tirelessly to help students succeed and reach their goals both on and off the field. They are extremely selfless in their dedication to these great student-athletes.”

The NCAA uses the multi-year average to track a program’s overall academic progress. The multi-year rate takes the last four reports into account.

The UCF football program had another solid year in the classroom. The Knights posted a multi-year average of 974, which is 26 points higher than the national average. Head coach George O’Leary’s team was tied for the 18th-best multi-year APR average in the nation among Football Bowl Subdivision programs. UCF would rank in the top 10 nationally among public FBS institutions, exempting the service academies. The Knights also ranked No. 2 in Conference USA and would rank No. 3 among football programs from public institutions in the BIG EAST.

Another example of UCF’s success in the classroom was displayed by head coach Terry Rooney’s baseball team. The baseball program tallied a 986 score and came in 21 points above the national multi-year average.

None of UCF’s teams fell below the 925 multi-year threshold, where teams could be penalized by the NCAA. It is the fifth-straight year the Knights have seen each of their teams come in above the threshold.

The APR provides a “snapshot” look at a team’s academic success on a yearly basis. The APR score takes into account graduation, retention and eligibility to determine a clear picture of the current academic culture of a program. The NCAA began compiling this data in 2004.

This positive news comes on the heels of the UCF women’s tennis program earning an NCAA public recognition award for its APR. Public recognition awards are given to programs with multi-year APR totals in the top 10 percent of the nation as compared to other teams in that sport. Head coach Stephanie Nickitas’ women’s tennis program has now compiled a perfect 1,000 score for four-consecutive years.