APR scores show money remains big factor in college sports

FILE - In this March 31, 2016, file photo, NCAA President Mark Emmert answers questions during a news conference at the men's NCAA Final Four of the NCAA college basketball tournament in Houston. The NCAA’s new Academic Progress Rate released Wednesday, April 20, 2106, shows a record number of college athletes are staying in school and working toward degrees, and that money continues to play a key role in academic performance. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File) (The Associated Press)

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FILE - In this March 12, 2016, file photo, Southern University coach Sandy Pugh, right, talks to Miaya Crowder during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the championship game of the Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament in Houston, Texas. The NCAA’s new Academic Progress Rate, released Wednesday, April 20, 2106, shows a record number of college athletes are staying in school and working toward degrees, and that money continues to play a key role in academic performance. Of the 68 Division I teams falling below the 930 cutline, 81 percent were described as “low-resource” institutions, 85 percent were Historically Black Colleges and Universities and 22 of the 23 teams facing postseason bans, including Southern. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan, File) (The Associated Press)

INDIANAPOLIS – The wealthiest schools in college sports are still cashing in with high academic performance.

Poorer schools, meanwhile, continue to pay a stiff price for sub-par scores.

The NCAA's latest Academic Progress Rate numbers, released Wednesday, show that schools with less money continue to play catch-up even as athletes remain in school and work toward degrees at record rates.

Of the 68 Division I teams falling below the 930 cutline, 81 percent were described as "low-resource" institutions, 85 percent were historically black colleges and universities, and 22 of the 23 teams facing postseason bans also were HBCUs. Nine teams at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, received postseason bans, including baseball, football and women's basketball.

Scores are based on a calculation that allows each athlete to earn one point per semester for being academically eligible and another point each semester for staying in school. A perfect score is 1,000 and the NCAA says a score of 930 correlates to a 50 percent graduation rate. The latest scores cover the years 2011-12 through 2014-15.

The NCAA is aware are of the financial disparities and the subsequent results. It already has allocated more than $15 million to help schools like Southern, and earlier this year the Board of Governors authorized a distribution of an additional $200 million to assist with more academic support.

"The goal of the academic performance program is to encourage academic achievement, not to punish those who don't meet the mark," NCAA President Mark Emmert said in a statement. "We will continue to work with schools and teams who don't reach the 930 standard to make sure every student-athlete has the opportunity to succeed."

All this comes at a time the NCAA is touting its academic successes.

The four-year average of 979 improved by one point over last year's record high. Scores in football (959), men's basketball (964) and women's basketball (978) improved by three points each while baseball (970) had a one-point improvement.

Last week, Villanova's national champion men's basketball team and Clemson's national runner-up football team received public recognition awards for excelling in the classroom. The Oregon State women's basketball team also made the list after reaching the Final Four earlier this month.

The NCAA says since it started tracking Academic Progress Rate scores in 2003 that more than 14,000 former athletes have returned to school and earned degrees, and even the single-year averages over the past five years have produced significant gains among "limited-resource" schools, which went from 945 to 966; HBCUs saw a jump from 918 to 956.

"The ultimate goal of any student entering college is graduation, and I am glad to see so many more students earn their degrees," said Ohio University President Roderick McDavis, chairman of the NCAA's Committee on Academics. "We continue to encourage schools to reach out to former students and to support current students in reaching this objective."

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NCAA APR report: http://www.ncaa.org/about/resources/media-center/news/division-i-student-athletes-still-making-gains-apr