The report also shows a significant rebound for white football student-athletes, a group that had dropped to its lowest percentage last year.

It also is the ninth straight year that student-athletes have graduated at a higher rate than the general student population. The only two classes that did not were the two pre-Prop 48 cohorts -- 1984 and 1985 -- which graduated at a rate of 52 percent, compared to student body rates of 53 percent and 54 percent, respectively.

Of note in the 1994 cohort is the jump for Division I black female basketball players -- 9 percent, from 52 percent for the 1993 entering class to 61 percent in 1994. That also represents a 13 percent increase from the 1992 class. The 61 percent figure is the highest ever achieved for that particular group, with the previous high being 59 percent in 1989. It also is 19 percentage points higher than the rate for the black female student body, the largest such difference for any group in the 1994 cohort.

The rate for Division I white female basketball players also increased, from 69 percent for both the 1992 and 1993 cohorts to 70 percent in 1994. Overall, Division I women's basketball players graduated at a rate of 65 percent, up 2 percent from 1993 but behind the all-time high of 67 percent in 1990.

However, the rate for black male basketball players increased from 34 to 35 percent, which is 4 percent higher than the black male student body. The graduation rate of black male basketball players has been higher than that of the black male student body for all 11 classes tracked. Rates for black student-athletes overall also are traditionally higher than the overall black student body. The difference in the 1994 cohort is 8 percent.

Football

After hitting an all-time low of 55 percent in 1993, the Division I-A white football cohort jumped to a rate of 60 percent in 1994. The 60 percent rate is more the norm for this particular group, which has graduated at a 60 or 61 percent rate in six of the 11 classes tracked. The highest rate for Division I-A white football players was 67 percent in 1989.

The rate for all I-A football players also increased, from 48 percent in 1993 to 51 percent for the 1994 cohort. The 51 percent figure, however, lags behind the graduation rate of the I-A male student body (57 percent in 1994), as it has in all 11 years of the study.

Similar to black male basketball players, though, Division I-A black football student-athletes continue to graduate at a higher rate than their black student body counterparts. For the 1994 class, 45 percent graduated, compared to 37 percent for the black male student body, which is the largest gap ever recorded for that group. The 45 percent rate also is 10 percentage points higher than the pre-Prop 48 classes in 1984 and 1985.

Overall, the most dramatic differences between student-athlete rates and student body rates in Division I continue to be found in the black female cohort. In addition to the 19 percent gap between black female basketball players and the black female student body, black female student-athletes overall graduated at a 59 percent rate in 1994, up 2 percent from 1993 and 17 percentage points higher than their black female student body counterparts.

Other significant gaps exist for the overall female cohort (69 percent for student-athletes, 59 percent for the student body) and the white female cohort (72 percent and 61 percent). Conversely, the male student body tends to graduate at a higher rate than men's basketball players (54 percent to 40 percent) and I-A football players (57 percent to 51).

Divisions II and III

In Division II, student-athletes in the 1994 cohort graduated at a significantly higher rate than their student body counterparts. Division II student-athletes graduated at a rate of 49 percent compared to the 42 percent rate posted by the student body. The 49 percent figure is bolstered most by a 56 percent graduation rate in women's basketball. Rates for men's basketball and football student-athletes were 46 percent and 39 percent, respectively.

Overall, Division II male student-athletes graduated at a rate of 44 percent, compared to 38 percent for the male student body, while female student-athletes graduated at a rate of 58 percent, compared to 46 percent for the female student body.

Comparisons are much more difficult in Division III because only those student-athletes who receive athletically related financial aid are tracked for the purposes of the graduation-rates study. Therefore, only those Division III student-athletes in sports in which the institution participates as a Division II or I member are recorded.

However, graduation rates for the Division III student body are available and can be used for a general comparison. For the 1994 Division III cohort, the overall student body graduated at a rate of 58 percent (55 percent for men and 60 percent for women).

As has been the case with all NCAA graduation-rates studies, the NCAA does not rank Divisions I, II or III institutions on a graduation-rate basis. Differences in institutional missions and philosophies preclude comparisons of that type.

Measures for improvement

While overall student-athlete graduation rates continue to exceed those of the general student population, the NCAA is studying ways to improve graduation rates for student-athletes. Higher student-athlete rates are a primary focus in comprehensive studies going on currently in Division I football and basketball. Also, the Division I Board of Directors recently appointed a task force composed of presidents that will be keying on improved graduation rates as a product of academic reform initiatives.

In men's basketball, the group that appears to be the most at risk as far as graduation rates are concerned, legislation recently was approved that would allow institutions to provide financial aid to incoming basketball student-athletes the summer before their first fall term, provided the student-athlete is enrolled in a minimum of six credit hours. The legislation, which became effective for this past summer class and also applies to women's basketball student-athletes, figures to increase the academic preparedness of incoming players. The measure is part of a five-year study.

Division II also has formed a Graduation-Rates Project Team to examine the issue.

Currently, graduation-rates data include only student-athletes who receive athletically related financial aid and graduate from that institution within six years of initial enrollment. Student-athletes who transfer in good academic standing to another institution count against their original institution as not graduating and are not counted in the freshman cohort rate for their second institution.

The entering class for next year's Division I study will be using different initial-eligibility standards. The 2002 report will reflect the requirement of 13 core courses, rather than the 11 that were called for by Prop 48. The 2003 report will reflect the Prop 16 initial-eligibility index, which became effective in 1996.

Graduation rates available online

For the first time, the NCAA graduation-rates study will be available online instead of distributed as a printed book or in CD ROM.

The complete report is available at no charge on NCAA Online. Those interested should click on "News & publications" on the left-hand side of the front page and then click the "view online" option. Click on "research" for this and other research-oriented information.

A limited number of hard copies will be made available for users who do not have Internet access.