To admit, or not to admit? An exploratory study of graduation rates of “special-admit” student-athletes within the “Power 5” conferences

ABSTRACT

According to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) manual, a student-athlete may be admitted to a university under special exception to the normal entrance requirements. Currently, the NCAA does not require data to track the outcomes of specially admitted student-athletes. Pragmatism, within the context of education, warrants regular evaluation of policies and procedures to see if they are achieving the desired purposes, and subsequently making changes to reflect values and beliefs as needed. The purpose of this quantitative study was to gain a pragmatic understanding of educational outcomes associated with specially admitted student-athletes within the “Power 5” conference institutions. Findings show the majority of student-athlete special admits (51%) graduated within six years from their initial institution while 6.06% were dismissed for academic reasons. Furthermore, student-athletes within the “Power 5” conference institutions graduated at a higher rate (68%) than Division I student-athletes (67%) and all Division I students (65%).

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

KEYWORDS:

• Special admits
• academics
• intercollegiate athletics
• division I
• student-athletes

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Alexandra M. Ingram is a PhD student in the Learning Environments and Educational Studies program with a collateral in Sports Management at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Alexandra’s primary research interests focus on the academic aspects of collegiate athletics, specifically student-athletes who have been specially admitted. A related line of research investigates the impact of pertinent NCAA rules and regulations regarding academic eligibility and academic performance.

Dr. Landon T. Huffman is an Assistant Professor of Sport and Fitness Leadership at Johnson University in Knoxville, Tennessee. His practical experiences in the sport industry include working in intercollegiate football operations, academic advising, and student-athlete development. Dr. Huffman’s primary research interests focus on examining the intersection of sport, religion, and spirituality, specifically as it pertains to holistic care service provision for intercollegiate athletes. A related line of research investigates professionalization standards and service provision of sport chaplaincy.