As Florida State slowly moves out from under the dark cloud of the academic cheating scandal that involved more than 20 football players – nearly half of those players are no longer on the team – the Noles got a boost when the NCAA released its annual Academic Progress Rate (APR) this week.

All of FSU’s athletic teams scored above the cut-point of 925 based on data over the last four years (2003-04 through 2006-07). As a result, no team faces any penalties.

“We are proud to announce that all Florida State varsity teams have met the NCAA APR benchmark,” FSU athletic director Randy Spetman said in a statement.

What is the APR? In simple terms, a formula measures a team’s academic success each semester by tracking each student-athlete on the team. The data includes eligibility, retention, and graduation in the calculation.

An APR score of 925 projects to an NCAA Graduation Success Rate of approximately 60 percent. High-performing teams receiving awards posted APR scores ranging from 965 to a perfect 1,000 and were in the top 10 percent of their respective sport.

“When gauged against other similar institutions across the country, Florida State ranks above the national average in several sports,’’ FSU director of academic support Bill Shults said. “This is a positive reflection of the commitment to academic success by our student-athletes, coaches and administration.”

The FSU teams scoring above the national average include men’s basketball (958), football (954), men’s swimming (969), men’s tennis (992) and men’s golf, which earned a Public Recognition Award for maintaining a perfect rate of 1000.

On the women’s side, basketball (963), golf (986) and volleyball (980) were also recognized while softball (992) also earned a Public Recognition Award for earning a score in the top 10 percent of its sport.

Here is FSU’s sport-by-sport breakdown of the multi-year APRs. In parentheses, you’ll find the Football Bowl Subdivision national average:

Men’s Teams
Baseball 934 (942)
Basketball 958 (925)
Cross Country 961 (964)
Football 954 (936)
Golf 1000 (965)
Swimming 969 (964)
Tennis 992 (963)
Track/indoor 939 (949)
Track/outdoor 947 (949)

Women’s Teams
Basketball 963 (960)
Cross Country 962 (971)
Golf 986 (980)
Soccer 967 (972)
Softball 992 (969)
Swimming 968 (979)
Tennis 961 (973)
Track/indoor 941 (963)
Track/outdoor 945 (964)
Volleyball 980 (972)