The document discusses NCAA graduation rates for student-athletes. It defines the Federal Graduation Rate, Graduation Success Rate, and Academic Progress Rate. It presents charts showing Elon University's graduation rates are consistently higher than their conference averages. Interviews with coaches and administrators suggest Elon has a goal 3.0 GPA for each team. While public APR rates haven't changed internal processes, there is unhappiness with the large accountability placed on graduation rates. The document proposes future research could examine differences in rates between sport teams or demographics.

1. {
NCAA Graduation
Rates
Kelsey Harris

2.  Why Graduation Rates?
 Internship in Academic Support for Athletics
 True understanding?
 Controversy over schools with low scores
 Ex: National Champion UCONN
Why?

3.  Federal Graduation Rate
 Graduation Success Rate
 Academic Progress Rate
Rates Defined

4. Rates Chart

5. Methods
Coaches Interview
How do you use Graduation Rates in your recruiting process? Or do you?
Do you have a goal graduation rate (APR) for your program?
How often do recruits ask you about graduation rates? Is it mostly parents?
Do you feel like they understand what they’re asking (or do they just ask because
they think they are supposed to)?
Has a recruit ever asked about APR?
Has the fact that individual head coach’s APR’s are published (through NCAA.org)
changed anything you do?

6. Methods
Administrator’s Interview
Do we have a goal graduation rate for each team?
What steps are taken every year within the athletic department to focus on
the APR among teams?
Do you believe that graduate rates and APR are important to Elon coaches?

7.  Content analysis from NCAA.org and GSR information
 Survey sent to current student-athletes
 Sample questions:
 Are you aware of Elon’s current graduation rate?
 When you hear the term “graduation rate”, what does it mean to
you?
 Was Elon’s graduation rate a factor in you choosing Elon as a
school?
 Do you think collegiate athlete’s graduation rates are
higher/lower/same as the general collegiate population?
Methods

8. Results
75
77
79
81
83
85
87
89
91
93
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
Elon Overall GSR
SOCON Avg
Overall Athletic GSR: Elon vs. SOCON Average

9. Results
80
82
84
86
88
90
92
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
Elon Overall GSR
CAA Avg
Overall Athletic GSR: Elon vs. CAA Average

10. Implications
 Elon’s academic culture speaks for itself
 Consistently higher than conference averages
 3.0 GPA goal for each team = high rates
 Student-athlete misunderstanding of rates
 Or just don’t worry about it
 Public APR rates have not changed internal process
with coaches
 Unhappiness with huge accountability

11.  Differences between sport teams?
 Differences between race? Background?
Hometown?
Future Research