A new study shows that transfer student-athletes in Division II are graduating at a higher rate than their counterparts who enrolled as freshmen at Division II institutions. However, certain subsets of two-year college transfers are struggling academically.

The Division II Transfer Graduation-Rates Study, developed at the request of the Division II Academic Requirements Committee, shows that two-year college transfers graduated at a slightly lower rate than the freshman cohort, 49 vs. 50 percent, but that four-year transfers graduated at a significantly higher rate, 59 vs. 50 percent. Overall, 53 percent of Division II transfer student-athletes graduated within six years of initial enrollment, compared to 50 percent for the freshman cohort.

Two-year transfers in football and men's and women's basketball graduated at a much lower rate than the Division II freshman cohort.

The Division II Academic Requirements Committee requested the study because of an absence of quality data about the academic performance of Division II transfer student-athletes.

"We asked for this study because there was some evidence, primarily anecdotal, that transfer students,
especially those from two-year institutions, didn't do as well academically," said Mary Lisko, faculty athletics representative at Augusta State University and chair of the Academic Requirements Committee. "But it's hard to make decisions based on what you hear. We needed good, hard details."

The Academic Requirements Committee opposed both proposals. In the first case, it believed the proposal could have led to the same definitional problems that have taken so long to work out at the high-school level (for example, one institution defines an English class differently than another); in the second case, it believed the proposal would unfairly disadvantage institutions with legitimate physical education programs and also penalize transfer students with legitimate physical education credits earned at two-year colleges.

Although the proposals were defeated, the committee concluded that the division would be aided in its decision-making if it had more information -- hence the study.

The study was designed to be consistent with the annual Graduation-Rates Survey, which all member institutions are required to complete. The form requested data on student-athletes who initially matriculated in college in 1992 or 1993 and who transferred to Division II institutions in the ensuing years. Only student-athletes receiving athletically related aid were included so that the data would be consistent with other graduation-rate data. The NCAA research staff received 138 usable responses, a response rate of 52.7 percent.

"Perhaps that is because four-year schools are designed to get the student through in a four-year program," Lisko said. "Some two-year institutions are more vocational and may have somewhat different missions. Also, they may take those students who did not meet NCAA initial-eligibility criteria. Those students might be less prepared and more at risk."

Ethnicity

The study showed that black transfer student-athletes, especially two-year college transfers, graduated at a lower rate than their white counterparts. African-American two-year college transfers graduated only at a 31 percent rate, compared to 41 percent for Blacks who had entered a four-year institution as freshmen. On the other hand, white two-year college transfers graduated not only at a much higher rate than their black peers (58 percent to 31 percent), they graduated at a higher rate than the white freshman cohort (58 percent to 53 percent)

The study noted that Blacks made up a higher proportion of the transfer group (25 percent) than they did the freshman group (17 percent). The difference was especially pronounced in men's basketball, where Blacks made up more than 65 percent of the two-year transfer cohort but less than 45 percent of the freshman cohort. Two out of every three male two-year college basketball transfers are Black.

"Given our litigious society," Lisko said, "the committee needs to take into account whether any legislation would have a disparate impact. However, we are concerned about some of the differences that can be found among ethnic groups, especially in men's basketball."

Sport differences

For all sports, Division II male two-year transfers graduated at the same rate as the freshman cohort: 46 percent. However, in football and basketball, the graduation rate for two-year college transfers, especially Blacks, was lower.

Division comparison

Although Division II two-year transfers generally graduated at lower rates than the freshman cohort, they graduated at higher rates in almost all cases than their Division I peers.

In men's basketball, both black and white four-year transfers in Division II trailed their Division I counterparts. However, four-year transfers in football and women's basketball in Division II graduated at higher rates than those observed in Division I.

Without that information, which is being compiled through the Division II Academic Performance Census study, no conclusions can be drawn on whether the graduation rates for transfer student-athletes are larger or smaller than might be expected.

Petr said that as data from the Academic Performance Census study become available, the study will be updated to provide additional information.