Based on a formula developed by the University of Tennessee, the graduation rate for student-athletes who entered UT between 1995 and 1998 is 95 percent.

The UT men's and women's athletics departments announced graduation success rates for student-athletes who entered the university between 1995 and 1998 in conjunction with the NCAA's release of individual team rates for all Division I athletic programs.

Nationally, men's basketball graduation rates, on average were lower than any other men's or women's sport. Men's basketball at UT, UT Chattanooga, UT Martin and Middle Tennessee State all ranked below the national graduation average. East Tennessee State University graduated 92 percent of the men's basketball team.

Meanwhile, only 25 percent of University of Memphis basketball players who entered college during the 1995-96 through 1998-99 school years graduated within six years, according to NCAA figures released Monday. The national GSR is 58 percent.

UT's basketball GSR is 33.

UT football, which made significant gains with its 50 percent graduation rate last year, dropped to 49 percent.

All of the UT men's athletic teams had graduation rates below national averages.

UT athletic director Hamilton said UT's graduation rates are in the middle when compared with other SEC schools.

The graduation rate for all Division I athletes was 76 percent.

Every member of the Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Lipscomb and Tennessee State women's basketball teams who entered the school in the 1995-99 school years graduated.

This year, the NCAA rolled out a new graduation success rate (GSR) calculation to measure the academic success of student-athletes at NCAA member institutions. The GSR adds transfer students on scholarship that fit into the cohort and deletes those students who choose to leave and would have been academically eligible to compete the next semester had they remained.

The GSR is considered a more-accurate account of student-athletes' graduation rates because it is more inclusive of student-athletes who compete here and omits those who succeed academically while here but choose to transfer or enter professional sports.

The federal graduation rate does not add transfer students, nor does it take into account students who choose to transfer and leave prior to graduation. According to the Department of Education, approximately 60 percent of the general student population in the United States transfers.

Twelve former student-athletes are working with UT's Renewing Academic Commitment (RAC) program and more than 20 have inquired about returning to school soon. Nine RAC program students graduated in 2004-05. Eighteen have returned to earn their bachelor's degrees since fall 2003.

Twenty-five UT student-athletes earned their diplomas last weekend. In 2004-05, 87 current and former UT athletes (men and women) graduated. This group boasts 49 SEC honor roll and 60 Thornton Athletics Student Life Center honor roll recognitions.

UT had 200 male and female student-athletes who achieved a GPA of 3.0 or higher for the fall semester, and 222 male and female student-athletes who achieved a GPA of 3.0 or higher in the spring.