Mar 23, 2022 - Sports

Charted: Sweet 16 college graduation rates

Data: NCAA; Table: Thomas Oide/Axios
Data: NCAA; Table: Thomas Oide/Axios

Women's NCAA tournament teams graduated at a higher rate than men's teams, according to an annual study by The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport.

How it works: Graduation Success Rate (GSR) measures how many scholarship athletes graduate within six years of enrollment. If players leave via transfer or the draft, they aren't counted towards the rate as long as they were academically eligible when they departed.

By the numbers: The women's average GSR for all tournament teams was 93.9%, compared to 87.2% for the men.

  • Among Sweet 16 finalists, 10 women's teams had 100% GSR rates, compared to eight men's teams.
  • White athletes graduated at higher rates than Black athletes for men and women, though the gap is smaller for women (98.8% vs. 92.5%) than men (95.1% vs. 83.7%).

Fun fact: Six schools achieved 100% GSR rates for both men's and women's teams (Gonzaga, Kentucky, Miami, Michigan, UNC, Villanova). The Wolverines and Tar Heels still have both teams alive.

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