Boulder – For the first time, University of Colorado athletes have posted a higher graduation rate than the rest of the student body.
The school said the rate for athletes was 70 percent, compared with 66 percent for other students at the university’s flagship campus. A year ago, the school said the graduation rate for student-athletes was just 48 percent.
“I don’t know if you can attribute it to one thing,” said Mark Nelson, assistant athletic director for academic services. “I think it’s the combination of a lot of programs we have put in place to help our student-athletes.”
The numbers are based on the freshman class from the fall of the 1998-99 school year. The NCAA tracks graduation rates in six-year cycles to account for injuries and other factors contributing to eligibility.
Coach Gary Barnett’s football program graduated 79 percent (15-of-19) of its players in the latest cycle; the count includes the final recruiting class of former coach Rick Neuheisel. Women’s basketball graduated 67 percent (6-of-9), while men’s basketball graduated 25 percent (1-of-4), though it had two transfers and actually remains in good academic standing.
Nelson credited a staff of tutors and advisers, and a life skills program. Student-athletes must enroll in an athletics department program that helps them set goals and organize.
The school reported the final team grade-point averages for the fall semester. All had at a 2.7 combined GPA, except for football (2.38) and men’s basketball (2.37). Sports information director Dave Plati said 57 percent of the 328 student-athletes completed the fall semester with at least a 2.5 GPA. Female athletes posted a 71 percent graduation rate compared with 67 percent of men.
