Based on an analysis of Spring 2015 minority graduations from Division I tournament teams—the latest data available from the NCAA—the graduation success rate (GSR) rose to 75 percent of all players, the highest graduation rate since the first analysis was issued in 2005.
The data are based on a six-year count by the NCAA of students who entered college in the fall of 2008 and graduated by the 2014-15 school year.
“This 2016 report brings the best news for the academic progress of African-American student athletes since we have been publishing the report,” said Dr. Richard Lapchick, primary author of the annual report called “Keeping Score When It Counts.”
The latest report helped close what Lapchick called a “cavernous” gap between the graduation success rate of African-American students and their White counterparts. The most recent gap, 18 percent, compares to 24 percent for each of the past two years (2014 and 2015 tournament fields).
The graduation success rate for Whites remained consistent for the past two years—93 percent. The graduation success rate among African-Americans was 75 percent for 2014-15 compared to 69 percent and 65 percent, respectively, for the previous two years.
Lapchick is director of The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports (TIDES) at the University of Central Florida, which conducts the analysis. He has led what at times has appeared a lonely campaign championing academic achievement among college minority athletes.
