LAS CRUCES, N.M. – The New Mexico State men's basketball program is expected to achieve its first-ever 1,000 APR mark in program history for the 2015-16 academic year. The perfect score should also lead the program to its best-ever multi-year (2012-16) score of 966.
 
"We have made an emphasis to focus on our graduation rates in recent years and with the help of the players buying in along with help from the academic and coaching staffs, we have made great strides with our Academic Progress Report scores," Aggie head coach Paul Weir said. "The academic well-being of our student-athletes is integral to the standards of our program. I can't thank these young men and several committed staff members for buying into the new academic philosophy that we hope will reap tremendous rewards for us, both now and into the future."
 
NM State's projected multi-year APR in 2015-16 should increase by nine points compared to its previous multi-year score of 957.
 
"Achieving a perfect APR score (1,000) for the 2015-16 men's basketball season is a tremendous testament to the hard work of both former head coach Marvin Menzies and current head coach Paul Weir as well as our academic staff and student-athletes," Director of Athletics Mario Moccia said. "We look forward to posting stellar APR scores in the sport of men's basketball in the coming years, which will put us on great academic footing with the NCAA from an APR standpoint."
 
Since the 2007-08 season, the men's basketball program has gone great lengths in improving its four-year APR score. With the anticipation of a perfect APR score for the 2015-16 season, NM State will have made a 118 point improvement in nine years to its four-year score – not to mention a 78 point improvement year-to-year when comparing it to 2014-15 (922).
 
"Being at an institution like New Mexico State is a privilege to all of us and the ultimate appreciation that we can provide is to walk across that stage and officially become an Aggie," said Weir.
 
Weir, an MBA graduate of NMSU, is currently enrolled in the educational leadership doctoral program at New Mexico State.
 
"I am hopeful that this score is just the beginning of an era of incredible academic success," Weir said.
 
What is APR?
The APR, or Academic Progress Rate, holds institutions accountable for the academic progress of their student-athletes through a team-based metric that accounts for the eligibility and retention of each student-athlete for each academic term.
 
The APR is calculated as follows:
 

• Each student-athlete receiving athletically related financial aid earns one point for staying in school and one point for being academically eligible.
• A team's total points are divided by points possible and then multiplied by 1,000 to equal the team's Academic Progress Rate.
• In addition to a team's current-year APR, its rolling four-year APR is also used to determine accountability.
• Currently, teams must earn a 930 four-year average APR or a 940 average over the most recent two years to participate in NCAA championships. In 2015-16 and beyond, teams must earn a four-year APR of 930 to compete in championships.

 
While the APR is intended as an incentive-based approach, it does come with a progression of penalties for teams that under-perform academically over time.
 
For more information regarding the APR, click here.