The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Academic Progress Rate (APR) numbers released this week measures the acadenuc performance of college athletes. There is a trend that wealthier schools do better in their APR compared to poorer schools.

Oregon Live reports that APR is based on the number of points that college athletes acquire for doing well academically and in staying in school. The highest APR score is 1,000 and a 930 score is approximately equivalent to half of an institution's graduation rate.

There are currently 68 Division I teams that do not satisfy the 930 APR score cutoff. Majority of these teams are from poorer colleges and universities. It also includes 80% of historically Black institutions. Additionally, 22 of 23 Division 1 teams with postseason bans are also part of the historically Black demographic. Teams who are under postseason bans will have lesser playing time so they can focus on their academics.


NCAA's Committee on Academics are supporting financially-challenged colleges and universities. Furthermore, they have a budget of more than $15 million for developing academic programs to help support college athletes graduate. The Board of Governors also added $200 million in funds to be allocated among Division I teams.

"The goal of the Academic Performance Program is to encourage academic achievement, not to punish those who don't meet the mark," NCAA President Mark Emmet said in a statement. He adds that they will continue to support colleges and universities to meet the 930 APR cutoff.

The Courier notes that the APR tracking has produced 14,000 graduates. This includes athletes who have returned to colleges and universities to earn their degrees. Additionally, the NCAA APR tracking has immensely helped historically Black colleges and universities improve their scores from 918 to 956.

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Tags Ncaa, College, University, Athletes