TOLEDO, Ohio - The University of Toledo was one of seven schools that earned the American Football Coaches Association's 2022 Academic Achievement Award, the AFCA announced today.
 
The Rockets, 2022 MAC Champions and winners of the Roofclaim.com Boca Raton Bowl, were joined by the U.S. Air Force Academy, Boston College, the U.S. Naval Academy, Northwestern University, Stanford University and Vanderbilt University. All seven schools recorded a 100 percent graduation rate for members of their 2015 freshman football student-athlete classes. This is Northwestern's 11th honor, Boston College, Stanford, and Vanderbilt's fifth and Air Force's second. Navy and Toledo are receiving the award for the first time. The award will be presented during the Honors Luncheon on Monday, January 9, at the 2023 AFCA Convention in Charlotte, N.C.

This is only the second time a Mid-American Conference school has earned the AFCA Academic Achievement Award. The first school was Miami (Ohio) in 2011.
 
This year's award marks the 11th time the NCAA's Graduation Success Rate (GSR) formula has been used to select the winner. From 1981 to 2007, the award was presented based on a formula used by the College Football Association and the AFCA. From 2008-17, the criteria for the AFCA's Academic Achievement Award was based on the highest NCAA GSR, and a Federal Graduation Rate of 75 percent or better. For 2018 and 2019, the AFCA used the NCAA's single-year APR. The AFCA returns to the NCAA GSR for 2022.
 
The GSR is based on a six-year graduation window for student-athletes and holds institutions accountable for transfer students, unlike the federal graduation rate. The GSR also accounts for midyear enrollees and non-scholarship students at schools that do not offer athletics aid. Under GSR calculation, institutions are not penalized for outgoing transfer students who leave in good academic standing. These outgoing transfers are passed to the receiving institution's GSR cohort.
 
The Academic Achievement Award was established by the College Football Association in 1981. The award recognized the CFA-member Football Bowl Subdivision institution with the highest graduation rate among members of its football team. When the CFA disbanded in 1997, the AFCA stepped in to present the award.
                
Past Academic Achievement Award Winners
1981:  Duke*
1982:  Notre Dame*
1983:  Notre Dame*
1984:  Duke, Notre Dame*
1985:  Virginia*
1986:  Virginia*
1987:  Duke*
1988:  Notre Dame*
1989:  Kentucky*
1990:  Duke*
1991:  Notre Dame*
1992:  Boston College, TCU*
1993:  Duke*
1994:  Duke*
1995:  Boston College, Duke, Wake Forest*
1996:  Boston College, Duke, Vanderbilt*
1997:  Duke*
1998:  Northwestern
1999:  Duke
2000:  Syracuse
2001:  Notre Dame, Vanderbilt
2002:  Northwestern
2003:  Duke
2004:  Boston College, Northwestern
2005:  Duke, Northwestern
2006:  SMU
2007:  Northwestern, Notre Dame
2008:  Vanderbilt
2009:  Notre Dame, Miami (Fla.)
2010:  Northwestern, Rice
2011:  Boise State, Miami (Ohio)
2012:  Northwestern, Stanford
2013:  Georgia, Rice, Stanford, Tulane
2014:  Duke, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Stanford
2015:  Duke, Vanderbilt
2016:  Miami (Fla.), Northwestern, Stanford
2017:  Alabama, Cincinnati, Middle Tennessee State, Northwestern, Utah, Utah State, Virginia
2018:  Clemson, Kansas State, Nevada, Oklahoma State, Pittsburgh
2019:  Air Force, Alabama, Clemson, Louisville, Rice, Utah
2020:  no award given
2021:  no award given
2022:  Air Force, Boston College, Navy, Northwestern, Stanford, Toledo, Vanderbilt