As Athletes' Graduation Rates Rise, So Do Fears of Academic Shortcuts
By Brad Wolverton, The Chronicle of Higher Education, September 28, 2006

…Wednesday, as the NCAA released its annual graduation-rate report, Mr. Brand's goal (80 percent) did not seem out of reach. The report found that 77 percent of Division I athletes were graduating within six years of enrolling in college, with rates improving sharply in dozens of sports. The higher numbers -- over all, the graduation rate rose 1 percentage point from the previous tracking period -- reflect a change in how the NCAA measures academic success.

Previously, the association used the U.S. Department of Education's numbers, but last year it began using its own formula, called the Graduation Success Rate. Unlike the Education Department's calculation, the NCAA's method accounts for transfer students, making athletes' graduation rates look rosier than the government's figures do. Many athletics officials agree, however, that the NCAA's formula provides the most accurate measure of how many athletes are succeeding in the classroom.

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