University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Pitt Football Earns 2025 AFCA Academic Achievement Award
11/26/2025 11:00:00 AM | Football
PITTSBURGH— The Pitt Football program has been selected as one of seven national recipients of the 2025 AFCA Academic Achievement Award, the American Football Coaches Association announced today.
Pitt shares the honor with Cincinnati, Maryland, Middle Tennessee State, Northwestern, Notre Dame and Temple. The award, presented annually by the Memphis Touchdown Club and sponsored by BSN Sports, recognizes programs that achieved the highest graduation rate among members of their 2018 freshman football student-athlete cohort.
This marks Pitt's second all-time Academic Achievement Award, having previously earned the distinction in 2018. The recognition underscores the University's and Head Coach Pat Narduzzi's continued commitment to supporting student-athletes academically and preparing them for lifelong success beyond the field.
The head coaches of this year's award-winning programs will be formally recognized at the 2026 AFCA Convention in Charlotte, N.C., on Sunday, Jan. 11.
The award utilizes the NCAA's Graduation Success Rate (GSR) one-year formula, which measures a six-year graduation window for student-athletes and includes transfer students and midyear enrollees, providing a more comprehensive reflection of academic performance across college football. The GSR also avoids penalizing programs for outgoing transfers who depart in good academic standing.
Established in 1981 by the College Football Association and later assumed by the AFCA in 1997, the Academic Achievement Award annually honors the Football Bowl Subdivision institution with the highest football student-athlete graduation rate.
