Females who participate in high school sports have a greater chance of earning a college degree according to a study published in an academic journal.

In the study, which appeared in a recent edition of the Youth & Society Journal, West Chester University's Kelly P. Troutman and Brigham Young University's Mikaela J. Dufur found that female high school athletes were 41 percent more likely to graduate from college within six years compared to female high school students who did not participate in sports.

The researchers used data from the National Education Longitudinal Study, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Educational Statistics.

"Results from this sample of females provide evidence that supports the hypothesis that females who played high school sports are more likely to graduate from college than are their counterparts," the researchers wrote. "The positive relationship between females' former high school athletics involvement and college completion is consistent with past research that has shown sport participation to be related to positive outcomes and more specifically on the relationship between athletics and academic success."

Troutman and Dufur noted that the link between sports and college helps validate equal-opportunity legislation and funding for women's athletics programs. The authors also emphasized that the results of their analysis, combined with previously touted benefits to females' participation in sports, should spur federal, state and local efforts to promote equal opportunity for female athletes. In addition, Troutman and Dufur wrote that the study should help policy-makers in decisions about funding for interscholastic sports programs.

"Providing more opportunities for female participation in sport may help bring about positive academic changes," Troutman and Dufur wrote. "It is imperative that these opportunities be open to minority and low-income students who are less likely to participate in high school sports."