Graduation Rates of Division I Student-Athlete Special Admits: Fact vs. Fiction

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. Social Cognitive Theory, within the context of education, examines the bi-directional relationship between person, behavior, and environment. The purpose of this mixed-methods study, which utilized an exploratory approach, was to develop a better understanding of previously obscure graduation rates of Division I student-athlete special admits within a single FCS Conference. This study examined progress towards graduation, or lack thereof based on entry into the professional leagues, dismissal from the team for academic reasons, dismissal from team for reasons other than academic, voluntarily withdrawing from school, and/or transferring to another school. The goal of the study was to provide an in-depth look at the demographics, incoming academics and graduation rates of student-athlete special admits in order to suggest what current practice looks like and, more broadly, how it might evolve in the future to support academic best practices. Findings showed that irrespective of the fact student-athlete special admits had significantly lower high school GPAs and SAT scores in comparison to the student body cohort within FCS institutions as a whole, they were found to have the same six-year federal graduation rate of 55% for the 2017 year. Student-athlete special admits who were redshirted their freshmen year had the poorest academic outcomes. Those making admissions decisions should be cautioned against assuming the relationship between the standard admissions criteria and graduation outcomes apply similarly across regularly admitted students, student-athletes, and student-athlete special admits. The study provides a foundation for further research to investigate which academic services are of greatest benefit to this population in order to create an evidence-based understanding of best practices for helping special admit student-athletes succeed.