How much is the poor grad rates for schools like Texas, USC,and OSU attributable to players leaving early for opportunities to play in the NFL? Does the NCAA take this into account?
Anonymous | Email | Homepage | 09.29.06 - 11:48 am | #

yes, the NCAA does take this into account in this figure. Bear this in mind too. Even if OSU had three early entries a year that would only 12 guys in an 85 scholarship cycle (so about 15% of the guys). This is also a 6 years to graduate model so NFL early entry NFL guys could take summer classes to graduate if they were a bit short on credits.

I think it is better to compare graduation rate of the football program with its student body as a whole. Certainly not defending state schools but I think the graduation rate of incoming freshmen is typically aroud 50%. It seems odd that it happens that way but it does. People seem to get sidetracked for one reason or another.

ND clearly does a great job of recruiting kids that want a meaningful degree and helping them achieve that.
mike | Email | Homepage | 09.29.06 - 12:19 pm | #

Isn't the graduation rate among ND's football players actually better than its student body as a whole? Reasons for that could be numerous, I was just wondering if there was a number on it.
SeanH | Email | Homepage | 09.29.06 - 12:55 pm | #

Having gone to a state school myself and having siblings who attended ND, I think that ND just has a better support system set up for students who are having problems with school work or other things. I think another factor to keep in mind besides the overall student pop. grad rate when comparing schools, is the size of the student population. At schools like OUS, Michigan, and TExas it is easy for one to get lost and forgotten in a student pop of 20k+
Anonymous | Email | Homepage | 09.29.06 - 1:13 pm | #

Many of the guys in my freshman class didn't graduate from ND. They transfered out to their state universities or military academies.

I think it was financial for the most part (even though my tuition was $850 a semester, which included everything except Frankie's pizzas and telephone calls).

And there were those who felt 'restricted'; having to smuggle beer into the dorm in typewriter cases and trying to act sober for 'night check'. No girls, no fun.

Rocket left early for the Canadian league but returned to finish up. Probably had to pay full tuition but may have not have flinched with a 26M contract.

Seems most guys that give up that last year of eligibility have already graduated (Fasinaro).

Wonder how many give up the necessary fourth year for the big time.
Judge | Email | Homepage | 09.29.06 - 1:16 pm | #

I'm sure matsut has a reasonable explanation for tOSU's low grade rate :>)
Mike | Email | Homepage | 09.29.06 - 1:45 pm | #

i'm suprised by USC's. While i understand that pewee pete carol (yes marco, whose last name is a girl's name) doesn't run the tightest ship, as per all the disciplinary problems these days, i've always thought of SC as a pretty respectable school, just like michigan, as much as i hate both programs.
Tommy O | Email | Homepage | 09.29.06 - 2:51 pm | #

Scholarship football players in Div I SHOULD have better grad rates than their peer groups. Especially at a state school where the student population is high. Football players have coaches making sure they go to class, usually have some sort of tutoring system in place, don't have to worry about tuition, and generally don't have to have a job (and yes, big time football is like a full time job, but there is a difference between knowing you have to show up to work or you don't eat and deciding whether to watch film at 9pm or 6 am). Most other students don't have anywhere near those advantages.
JohnWA | Email | Homepage | 09.29.06 - 2:51 pm | #

But JohnWA, you're neglecting the most important thing which is that football players are as a rule in the lowest 10% of the student body in terms of academic qualifications. At a school where 70% of the freshmen graduate, the 30% that don't aren't spread equally among the student body. The kids who don't graduate are predominately the less qualified. The advantages of the academic support system that football players have aren't going to overcome that. In fact, a school which graduated 95% of its football players but 70% of its overall population would almost certainly be committing academic fraud on a massive scale.

At ND, just about the whole student population graduates. It's therefore almost a given that the football players do also.
steve | Email | Homepage | 10.01.06 - 8:35 pm | #