INDIANAPOLIS --- To ensure comparability of the Academic Progress Rate (APR) between colleges and universities with different academic calendars, the NCAA has made minor adjustments to the APRs of teams on Division I campuses that use the quarter system rather than semesters.

Scores have been recalculated at schools operating on quarters to ensure that their performance is measured by the same standards as semester schools.  The revised APRs are the result of a new method of assessing academic progress at quarter schools that better mirrors the twice-yearly eligibility and retention assessments made at semester schools.  

APR is the scoring mechanism used in conjunction with a landmark academic reform package aimed at strengthening the educational success of student-athletes and holding universities and teams accountable for that success.  The package was approved in April by the Division I Board of Directors, which comprises Division I college and university chancellors and presidents.

Each player on a given roster earns a maximum of two points per term, one for being academically eligible and one for staying with the institution.  A team's APR is the total points of a team's roster at a given time divided by the total points possible.  Teams that fall below an APR of 925 would not be able to reassign the scholarship of a student-athlete who leaves an institution and is academically ineligible.

At its August 4 meeting, the Board of Directors approved a revised method for calculating scores for institutions operating on the quarter system.  The new method, which was recommended by the Division I Committee on Academic Performance and a statistical advisory group to the NCAA, is the result of analysis of APR data from the 2003-04 academic year. 

The new methodology resulted in only minor score adjustments for the 27 Division I institutions using the quarter system, but will ensure the long-term accuracy and fairness of the scores.  In almost all cases, scores remained similar or improved slightly under the new  calculation.

Institutions that are affected include: California Polytechnic State University; California State University, Bakersfield; University of California, Santa Barbara; University of California, Davis; University of California, Irvine; University of California, Los Angeles; University of California, Riverside; University of Cincinnati; Dartmouth College; DePaul University; University of Denver; Drexel University; Eastern Washington University; Furman University; Louisiana Tech University; Mercyhurst College; Northwestern University; Ohio State University; Ohio University; Oregon State University; University of Oregon; Portland State University; Santa Clara University; Stanford University; Union College; University of Washington and Wright State University.