NCAA’s commitment to academicsNCAA member universities and colleges strive to make athletics participation an integral part of the student-athlete’s educational experience. The NCAA develops rules and policies to ensure the academic commitment of student-athletes and to increase the likelihood that they will earn degrees. Presidential bodies in each division approve academic standards that determine initial eligibility for student-athletes and ensure adequate progress toward degree. NCAA committees develop policies based on research and feedback from higher education constituencies, including faculty members. NCAA student-athletes annually outperform their student-body counterparts in graduation rates, usually by several percentage points, and in almost all demographic categories (for example, black female student-athletes vs. black female students, white male basketball players vs. white male students, etc.). |
RelatedScholarshipsAthletic scholarships for undergraduate student-athletes at Division I and Division II schools are partially funded through the NCAA membership revenue distribution. Division III schools offer only academic scholarships. MORE » How academic reform is measuredNCAA student-athletes have graduated at an increasing rate over the last decade, a period in which they have consistently graduated at a higher rate than the overall student body. MORE » History of Academic ReformSince its founding in 1906, the NCAA has made the academic commitment and success of student-athletes a top priority. MORE » |
