HONOLULU – The University of Hawai'i set a school record for its Graduation Success Rate (GSR) according to the NCAA's annual report, which measures graduation rates of student-athletes who began enrollment during the 2012-13 academic year and graduated within six years.
 
UH student-athletes posted a four-year GSR of 88 percent, which topped last year's previous best score of 85. It also matches the Division I national average and ranks third highest among schools in the Big West Conference behind Long Beach State and UC Davis (89).
 
In addition, five of UH's 21 sports earned perfect GSR scores and seven programs posted scores higher than their respective sports' national average – baseball (93; national average: 84), men's tennis (100; 92), women's basketball (93; 91), cross country/track and field (100; 91), women's golf (100; 95), women's tennis (100; 95); and women's water polo (100; 95).
 
This Division I Board of Directors created the GSR in 2002 response to Division I college and university presidents who wanted data that more accurately reflected the mobility of college students beyond what the federal graduation rate. UH's score has risen from its initial rate of 60 percent in 2004-05 and more recently jumped from 83 percent in 2015-16 to 88 percent this year.

The GSR formula removes from the rate student-athletes who leave school while academically eligible and includes student-athletes who transfer to a school after initially enrolling elsewhere. This calculation makes it a more complete and accurate look at student-athlete success.