Samford University placed second in Inside Higher Ed’s academic bracket for the NCAA women’s basketball tournament. Using the official tournament bracket, teams were compared based on their most recent academic progress rate (APR), which measures athlete retention and academic eligibility. With graduation success rate (GSR) as the tiebreaker, Samford progressed to the final, only losing out to the Ivy League’s Princeton University by one point.

Both Samford and Princeton have a perfect APR score (1000) for women’s basketball, and the schools have graduation success rates of 97 and 98, respectively.

Samford’s GSR score is the joint-third highest in the nation. The results were announced in November 2025, and Samford has the highest score among Alabama schools and the highest in the Southern Conference. Samford has led the SoCon in the GSR report for eight straight years and has led the state for the last 15 years. 

Samford women’s sports teams are also the current holders of the Germann Cup, awarded to the top overall women’s athletics program in the SoCon—an honor that recognizes athletic and academic success. The Bulldogs have won that honor for five consecutive years.

After qualifying for the NCAA tournament by winning the SoCon tournament, Samford faced Southern University in a 16-seed play-in game. Although the Bulldogs lost on the court, in the academic bracket, they bested Southern, South Carolina, Clemson, Colorado State, Washington and Iowa State on their way to the final. This recognition from Inside Higher Ed highlights Samford’s place at the forefront of academic excellence, educating student-athletes to succeed in their sport, in the classroom and in their career.