CLEVELAND - The Football Championship Subdivision Athletics Directors Association (FCS ADA) has announced the recipients of the Academic Progress Rate (APR) Award.

"It is an honor for the FCS ADA to recognize the institutions that have excelled in the APR this year," said Director of Athletics at Bryant University and current FCS ADA President, Bill Smith. "The Association applauds those programs that achieved the top four-year APR mark in their conference as well as the programs in each league that showed the greatest improvement over the last year's mark. Academic success and retention are critical benchmarks for recognizing each FCS football programs commitment to academic excellence at their respective institutions."

The FCS ADA APR Award recognizes one institution at each of the 13 FCS conferences that has the highest APR score. In addition, the Association also recognizes one institution from each conference that has improved the most from the previous year.

The following 24 institutions formally received their awards during the FCS ADA Luncheon sponsored by Borden Perlman Insurance Agency, on Monday, June 10 in conjunction with the 2019 NACDA Convention at the World Center Marriott in Orlando, Florida.
 

Conference	Highest APR in 2017-18	Most Improved APR in 2017-18
Big Sky Conference	California Polytechnic State University	Montana State University
Big South Conference	Presbyterian College	Presbyterian College
Colonial Athletic Association	Villanova University	University of Rhode Island
		University of Delaware
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference	North Carolina A&T State University	South Carolina State University
Missouri Valley Football Conference	North Dakota State University	Youngstown State University
Northeast Conference	Bryant University
Ohio Valley Conference	Jacksonville State University	Eastern Illinois University
Patriot League	Fordham University	Fordham University
Pioneer Football League	University of Dayton	Morehead State University
Southern Conference	Western Carolina University	Mercer University
	Wofford College
Southland Conference	Houston Baptist University	Abilene Christian University
Southwestern Athletic Conference	Jackson State University
The Ivy League	Columbia University-Barnard College	Harvard University

In 2003, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) member colleges and universities adopted a comprehensive academic reform package designed to improve the academic success and graduation of all student-athletes. The centerpiece of the package is the academic measurement for teams, known as the Academic Progress Rate (APR).

About the FCS ADA: Now in its 25th year, the Football Championship Subdivision Athletics Directors Association's mission is to enhance Football Championship Subdivision football. For more information on the FCS ADA, please visit www.fcsada.com. The FCS ADA is administered by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), which is in its 54th year. For more information on NACDA and the 17 professional associations that fall under its umbrella, please visit www.nacda.com.