Tulsa World: NCAA graduation rates up again

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NCAA graduation rates up again

By MICHAEL MAROT Associated Press
Published: 11/19/2009 2:33 AM
Last Modified: 11/19/2009 6:29 AM

INDIANAPOLIS — College athletes are still setting records and dispelling myths — in the classroom.

Just like the late NCAA President Myles Brand believed they could.

The NCAA's latest graduation numbers show nearly four out of five student-athletes earn their diplomas on time, an all-time high, and federal statistics show athletes are still more likely to graduate on time than other students.

"The misconception is that NCAA student-athletes are not good students," interim NCAA President Jim Isch said in a conference call Wednesday. "The truth, as Myles reminded people, is that they could perform in the classroom and they outperformed the general student body in almost every measure."

NCAA statistics show 79 percent of all freshmen entering school in 2002-03 graduated within six years, matching last year's record high. The four-class average, for students entering college between the fall of 1999 and the fall of 2002, also was 79 percent, a 1 percentage point increase over last year's record.

The federal numbers are lower, 64 percent for athletes, but still 2 percentage points higher than the general student body that does not have access to all the assistance provided to student-athletes.

Federal statistics do not include the performance of transfer students. So if an athlete enrolls at one school, then transfers to another, neither school receives credit if the athlete graduates.

NCAA officials believe the improving numbers can be attributed to stronger eligibility standards for incoming freshmen and a greater emphasis on academics during Brand's tenure as president.

"I think everyone understands how much this has changed the culture on campus and I expect that will continue to be the case in the future," said Walter Harrison, chairman of the committee on academic performance. "I think coaches are clearly more aware of the Academic Progress Rate. They know how it's calculated, and most importantly they know that they have to do well in the classroom and stay on track to graduate.

A look at the GSR for local schools

The NCAA uses a formula that produces Graduation Success Rate averages. The averages measure the graduation of student-athletes who entered college from 1999-2002.

The GSR calculations limit time to graduation from initial college enrollment to six years. According to the NCAA, the GSR “holds institutions accountable for transfer students, unlike the federal graduation rate. The Graduation Success Rate also accounts for midyear enrollees and is calculated for every sport.

“Under the calculation, institutions are not penalized for outgoing transfer students who leave in good academic standing. The outgoing transfers are essentially passed to the receiving institution’s Graduation Success Rate cohort.”

The NCAA released its GSR data Wednesday. Here is a look at Graduation Success Rates averages from 1999-2002 in football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball for Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Tulsa and Oral Roberts:

School	Football	Men’s basketball	Women’s basketball	Baseball
National Avg.	67%	64%	83%	69%
Oklahoma	45%	57%	83%	60%
Oklahoma St.	61%	82%	81%	68%
Tulsa	63%	64%	80%	(Doesn’t play)
Oral Roberts	(Doesn’t play)	86%	57%	35%

By MICHAEL MAROT Associated Press

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