Rice and Texas Southern occupied opposite poles of the NCAA's annual graduation rates report issued Tuesday.

Rice said it ranked sixth among Football Bowl Subdivision schools in the annual Graduation Success Report, graduating 95 percent of student-athletes who enrolled as freshmen from 2001-02 through 2004-05. Ninety-three percent of football players received degrees within six years, trailing only Notre Dame and Northwestern.

"These numbers continue to reflect the outstanding efforts of all our student-athletes," Rice athletic director Rick Greenspan said. "Every young man and woman who accepts the offer to compete for Rice does so knowing that there are high expectations both in the classroom and on the playing field. They take great pride in extending this legacy of excellence and we celebrate their achievements."

TSU, meanwhile, ranked second from the bottom among Division I football programs, graduating only 37 percent of its football players for the four-year period measured by the NCAA. TSU athletic director Charles McClelland was not immediately available for comment Tuesday.

Stephen F. Austin football also ranked in the bottom 10 at 39 percent.

Among other Texas football programs, TCU trailed Rice at 78 percent, followed by SMU at 68 percent and Baylor at 62 percent. Texas A&M was at 59 percent, and Texas and Houston each were at 57 percent.

Nathan Lindstrom

Nationwide, the NCAA said that 82 percent of student-athletes who enrolled in 2004-05 graduated within six years, a record, and the four-class measure from 2001 through 2004 averaged 80 percent.

"These numbers are real, important indicators of the work we've done," said Walter Harrison, president of the University of Hartford and chair of the NCAA's committee on academic performance.

For all student-athletes, UH's GSR was 69 percent, including 38 percent for men's basketball, 68 percent for women's basketball and 72 percent for baseball. Rice was at 92 percent, 93 percent and 91 percent respectively.

Prairie View A&M graduated 63 percent of all student-athletes within six years, according to the NCAA numbers, to TSU's 45 percent. Texas was at 74 percent and A&M at 73 percent.

The GSR numbers issued Tuesday are different from the NCAA's Academic Progress Rate report, which measure retention and progress toward a degree and carry penalties for schools that do not meet minimum standards.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

david.barron@chron.com