October 1997 Newsletter Article                                    To Newsletter Menu

Title: Graduation Rates

Author: Ray Lauenstein

Prospective student athletes can gage the chances that they will graduate from any given college, by looking at Graduation Rates.(GR.)

GR shows the percentage if students who earned a degree in a 5 year period or less. Once you find out the score compare it to the general student average graduation rate. You will be surprised at how low the general students rate is. Often times the athletic teams post a higher score.

Boston College athletic faculty rep Professor Joe Quinn says that all recruited athletes should check out the GR for their specific sport before they decide on a school. "It really tells you just how serious the athletic program and your particular sport are when it comes to academics. There is no hiding behind those statistics."

Here are some hints:

1. Look for your specific sports scores. The entire athletic department score can be skewed or weight in one direction or another by one or two very strong or week teams.

2. Compare the score to the school or all-man’s average.

Before you can tell how your sport stacks up, compare it to the entire schools average numbers. The teams might be higher then the school.

3. Race and Gender. Check for specific GR’s by these categories. For example the GR for White female baskeball players might be different from the GR’s of black womens basketball players.

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