DeKALB, Illinois – All 16 Northern Illinois University programs once again surpassed the NCAA Academic Progress Rate standards which annually measures the eligibility, graduation and retention of Division I student-athletes.
 
The report, released by the NCAA earlier this week, is based on annual rates from 2017-18 through 2020-21; the NCAA and member institutions have established a minimum standard four-year APR of 930 for every sport program.
 
Five Huskie programs posted a multi-year APR that ranked at the top of the Mid-American Conference in their sport. The NIU gymnastics and men's and women's golf teams all had a perfect multi-year APR of 1000. The 2021 MAC Champion men's soccer team led all league programs with a 994 APR and women's tennis topped the MAC with a 993 mark. Volleyball's 995 APR ranked tied for second in the MAC; women's soccer's 997 APR ranked as the second-highest mark among all NIU teams.
 
In all, 11 NIU teams recorded a rate of 980 or higher for the 2020-21 report with 14 earning an APR above 975. The Huskies also did well in comparison with the national average by sport with 11 teams compiling an Academic Progress Rate at or above the national average.
 
Each academic year, every Division I sports team across the country calculates its APR using a simple and consistent formula. Each term, scholarship student-athletes can earn one point for remaining eligible and one point for staying in school or graduating.
 
Last year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, APR data was not released publicly and penalties were not assessed. This year's APRs for each team, as well as previous year's numbers, are available online through the NCAA's searchable database.
 
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