AIR FORCE, BOSTON COLLEGE, NAVY, NORTHWESTERN, STANFORD, TOLEDO, AND VANDERBILT TO RECEIVE 2022 AFCA ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

The U.S. Air Force Academy, Boston College, the U.S. Naval Academy, Northwestern University, Stanford University, the University of Toledo, and Vanderbilt University will share the American Football Coaches Association’s 2022 Academic Achievement Award, which is presented by the Touchdown Club of Memphis.

All seven schools recorded a 100 percent graduation rate for members of their 2015 freshman football student-athlete classes. This is Northwestern’s 11th honor, Boston College, Stanford, and Vanderbilt’s fifth and Air Force’s second. Navy and Toledo are receiving the award for the first time. The award will be presented during the Honors Luncheon on Monday, January 9, at the 2023 AFCA Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina.

This year’s award marks the 11th time the NCAA’s Graduation Success Rate (GSR) formula has been used to select the winner. From 1981 to 2007, the award was presented based on a formula used by the College Football Association and the AFCA. From 2008-17, the criteria for the AFCA’s Academic Achievement Award was based on the highest NCAA GSR, and a Federal Graduation Rate of 75 percent or better. For 2018 and 2019, the AFCA used the NCAA’s single-year APR. The AFCA returns to the NCAA GSR for 2022.

The GSR is based on a six-year graduation window for student-athletes and holds institutions accountable for transfer students, unlike the federal graduation rate. The GSR also accounts for midyear enrollees and non-scholarship students at schools that do not offer athletics aid. Under GSR calculation, institutions are not penalized for outgoing transfer students who leave in good academic standing. These outgoing transfers are passed to the receiving institution’s GSR cohort.

The Academic Achievement Award was established by the College Football Association in 1981. The award recognized the CFA-member Football Bowl Subdivision institution with the highest graduation rate among members of its football team. When the CFA disbanded in 1997, the AFCA stepped in to present the award.

Most Awards: Duke, 14; Northwestern, 11; Notre Dame, 9; Boston College, 5; Stanford, 5; Vanderbilt, 5; Rice, 3; Virginia, 3; Air Force, 2; Alabama, 2; Clemson, 2; Miami (Fla.), 2; Utah, 2.