ABSTRACT
Currently, the NCAA does not track the academic outcomes of student-athlete special admits. This study surveyed multiple institutions within a Division I FCS Conference regarding their student-athlete special admit population. Demographic aspects, as well as progress towards graduation, or lack thereof based on entry into the professional leagues, dismissal from team for academic reasons, dismissal from team for reasons other than academic, voluntarily withdrawing from school, and/or transferring to another school were collected. Findings showed the majority of student-athlete special admits (55%) graduated within six years from their initial institution, while only 5% were dismissed for academic reasons. Special admits with the poorest educational outcomes were those who were redshirted their freshman year. Results suggest student-athlete special admits differ from the regular student-athlete population in regard to academic best practices (freshman redshirting) and from regular student-athletes and non-athletes in regard to demographics with higher six-year graduation rates.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author as she was not working at the NCAA at the time this study was conducted.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Alexandra M. Ingram
Alexandra M. Ingram her PhD in learning environments and educational studies with a concentration in instructional technology and collateral in sports management. She has a certificate in evaluation, statistics, and measurement. Alexandra currently works at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as the associate director of Infractions Operations.