Notre Dame posts 17 perfect NCAA APR scores to lead the nation

This is an excerpt of the original article, which was shared by Fighting Irish Media.

The University of Notre Dame led the way among Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) schools, matched its institutional record with 17 perfect scores, and led all Division I schools in the latest release of Academic Progress Rating (APR) statistics from the NCAA. 

The Irish ranked ahead of Atlantic Coast Conference institution Duke (14) and the Big Ten’s Michigan (13) among FBS schools. Among all Division I institutions, only Columbia matched Notre Dame’s 17 perfect APR scores. 

Notre Dame baseball, women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s fencing, men’s and women’s golf, men’s swimming and diving, men’s and women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s track and field, women’s soccer, softball, women’s tennis and volleyball were the 17 Irish programs with a perfect 1,000 APR score. 

Notre Dame’s 17 programs with scores of 1,000 marked the 11th time in the 20-year history of the APR in which at least 13 Irish teams had scored perfectly (also in 2006, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025). 

Notre Dame’s number of perfect scores has ranked either first or second among all FBS programs for 20 consecutive years. Notre Dame led FBS schools in 1,000 scores in 2025, 2024, 2023, 2021, 2020 and 2019 (both years tied with Stanford at 13), 2016 (with 16), 2015 (17), 2013 and 2012 (both with 12), 2009 (with nine), 2008 (with eight, tied with Duke) and 2006 (with 14, tied with Boston College). 

Notre Dame finished second in the number of 1,000 scores in 2022, 2018, 2017, 2014, 2011, 2010 and 2007.

The APR, created to provide more of a real‐time measurement of academic success than graduation rates offer, is a team-based metric where scholarship student-athletes earn one point each term for remaining eligible and one point for staying in school or graduating. Schools that don’t offer scholarships track their recruited student-athletes.

Every Division I sports team submits data to have its Academic Progress Rate calculated each academic year. The NCAA reports both single-year rates and four-year rates, on which penalties for poor academic performance are based. National aggregates are based on all teams with usable, member-provided data. APRs for each team, lists of teams receiving public recognition, and those receiving sanctions are available online through the NCAA’s searchable database.

Check out the original article for more on Notre Dame’s APR ratings by sport ›

At Notre Dame, academic excellence and athletic greatness are held in equal regard. Through holistic support of each individual’s pursuits in sports and in life, the Rockne Athletics Fund equips student-athletes with the tools they need to thrive far beyond competition.