North Carolina A&T athletics is aiming for a 950 Academic Progress Rate for the 2012-13 academic school year.

“My goal is to get APR over 950,” said A&T athletic director Earl Hilton.

According to the NCAA, APR is a team-by-team measurement of eligibility and retention for all Division-1 athletes.

APR began after congress introduced the “Right to Know” act in 1990 in an effort

to assist universities monitor student-athletes’ academic performance from term to term.

When asked about how the department addresses student-athletes and their studies Hilton

responded by saying, “The kids are here to graduate. That’s our philosophy.”

1000 is a perfect APR score.  A 925 score, the equivalent of a 50% graduation rate, is the threshold for NCAA sanctioning. Teams that fall below 925 and have players who have failed and left the school are subject to NCAA sanctions as well as up to ten percent in scholarship reductions.

Scores from the 2012-13 academic school year will be available this upcoming spring.

“I firmly believe you (athletes) can graduate and win championships,” said Hilton.

In 2012, A&T football registered an 874 APR for the 2011-12 school year and were deemed eligible for playoff competition for the first time since 2010. The football program was still assessed level one, two, and three penalties. Sanctions included practice restrictions and scholarships losses.

The football program has been under sanction since the 2007-08 school year when

their scores dropped from 874 in 2007 to 856 in 2008.

The men’s indoor track program’s scores plummeted from 926 in 2011 to 894 in 2012

and outdoor track scores dropped from 933 to 898 during the same period. The NCAA enacted level one sanctions to both teams including a loss of practice time.

There are currently 35 teams facing penalties for APR scores in 2012-2013.

• Kalyn Hoyle, Managing Editor