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FSU football graduation rate hit another low under Fisher's guidance

Although Jimbo Fisher has been gone for nearly two years, Florida State is still suffering the effects of the football team's poor academic record under his guidance.

In the latest NCAA Graduation Success Rate statistics, which were released on Wednesday, FSU's football team ranked last in the Atlantic Coast Conference and 129th out of 130 schools in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

Only Oklahoma State fared worse.

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FSU's football program languished academically during Jimbo Fisher's tenure.
FSU's football program languished academically during Jimbo Fisher's tenure.
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The latest statistics, which track student-athletes over a six-year period, feature students who enrolled in 2012. Fisher was promoted to head coach in 2010 and remained in that role for eight years before leaving for Texas A&M.

According to the NCAA database, FSU's graduation rate for football was 60 percent -- that was five points lower than one year earlier and far behind the vast majority of ACC schools. Ten of the conference's 14 football programs posted graduation rates of 80 percent or higher, including rivals Clemson (81 percent) and Miami (81 percent).

The average for all FBS football programs was 79 percent. Oklahoma State, which was the only school to fare worse than FSU, checked in at 54 percent.

This is just the latest indication of the Seminoles' academic struggles under Fisher, who posted an 83-23 record and led the team to the 2013 national championship.

Earlier this year, Florida State ranked last among all FBS schools in the four-year Academic Progress Rate, which takes other academic factors into consideration.

The football team's woes are significantly out of line with the rest of the Seminoles' athletics department. When comparing campus-wide graduation rates, football was the only sport to rank below 70 percent. Men's cross country/track (72 percent) was the only other sport to finish below 80 percent.

FSU had four sports turn in perfect 100 percent graduation rates -- women's basketball, women's golf, women's volleyball and men's tennis.

Four programs scored at 90 percent or above -- women's swimming and diving (97 percent), softball (93), men's basketball (90) and women's tennis (90).

This was the FSU football team's third straight decline in graduation rate. The Seminoles recorded a 65 percent for the class that enrolled in 2011, 74 percent the year before that, and 77 percent the year before that.

The NCAA's Graduation Success Rate is calculated slightly differently than the federal graduation rate. It does not dock a school when a student leaves early in good academic standing. It also gives schools credit when a student transfers in and graduates.

Here is a look at FSU's most recent NCAA graduation rates (students who enrolled in 2011 and 2012) for every sport:

Florida State Graduation Success Rate
Sport Graduation Rate Enrolled in 2012 Graduation Rate Enrolled in 2011

Men's Tennis

100

100

Women's Basketball

100

100

Women's Golf

100

100

Women's Volleyball

100

100

Women's Swim/Dive

97

97

Softball

93

86

Men's Basketball

90

83

Women's Tennis

90

91

Women's Soccer

88

88

Women's C.C./Track

87

93

Men's Golf

86

60

Baseball

83

74

Men's Swim/Dive

82

82

Men's C.C./Track

72

73

Football

60

65

FSU's graduation success rate for last two years.

Click here to access the NCAA's graduation success rate database.

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