The same Stanford students who take home the Directors’ Cup — and the same football players who beat USC on Saturday — are also taking home good grades.

In an NCAA report on graduation rates at Division I-A schools released last week, Stanford athletes performed in line with the University’s distinguished academic reputation. The report charted the percentage of varsity student athletes who received a degree between 2003 and 2006.

Compared to other Pacific-10 schools, Stanford did particularly well, sporting a 93 percent graduation rate for football that put the University far above its conference peers — UC-Berkeley’s football graduation rate was 52 percent.

Stanford also out-performed national averages in every sport except women’s fencing.

Overall, the graduation rates for most sports were relatively similar to years past. Some teams saw minor gains, such as baseball, which rose three points from 93 percent in 2006 to 96 percent this year. Others showed dramatic improvement, including men’s gymnastics — from 89 percent to 100 percent — and women’s tennis — up 17 percentage points from 83 last year to 100 percent in 2007.

Other teams, however, saw their graduation rates fall from last year. Men’s basketball players graduated at a rate of 67 percent, down from 92 percent in 2005. Women’s fencing fell to 50 percent, down from 100 percent in 2005.

Athletic Director Bob Bowlsby explained some of the major changes.

“The [sample] sizes are small due to the small number of recruits each year, so the rates vary widely,” Bowlsby said in an email to The Daily. “For instance, if only one out of three students fails to graduate, the percentage falls to 67 percent. This looks low compared to other sports, but it can rebound to 100 percent very easily.”

Bowlsby also said that the Athletics Department manages its program “based on Stanford’s priorities, not comparisons with other schools.”

Stanford’s high graduation rates should come as no surprise at a school that prides itself on its academic reputation.

“We’re scholar-athletes, not athlete-scholars,” said Sophia Alberts-Willis ‘10, a varsity fencer. “Our coaches really stress the importance of our academic career.”

Ultimately, the rates reflect best on the efforts of the students.

“It’s not something the institution itself does, it’s more the self-motivation of the players here,” said redshirt sophomore center Chase Beeler, who transferred to Stanford from the University of Oklahoma. “It’s different than if you’re at an NFL factory.”