University athletics because of its reporting structure, regulation by the NCAA, and relationship to the academic enterprise of institutions, provides a unique look into postsecondary institutional behavior. Using a difference-in-difference design, this study tests the introduction of new television networks dedicated to college sports on…

Many college athletes suffer career-ending injuries that leave them with expensive medical bills and lost scholarship opportunities. California's 2012 student athlete bill of rights mandated that the state's universities continue to care for college athletes by providing access to medical care and equivalent scholarships even if they were injured…

This study presents the results of a regression discontinuity empirical approach to investigate the effects of postseason bowl game participation on student-athlete academic outcomes and subsequent football team success. The practice expectations for student-athletes on football teams that participate in a bowl game increase by between two and…

Football teams draw the largest crowds of any American collegiate sport, and with them, both positive and negative attention for colleges and universities. Nearly 50 colleges have added the sport recently, but little research has examined the institutional effects of adding a team. Some of these institutions are regional research universities…

The Graduation Success Rate (GSR) plays a critical role supporting the NCAA's Collegiate Model of amateur college athletics. The NCAA created the GSR to correct a statistical bias in the legally mandated Federal Graduation Rate (FGR) that causes it to underestimate rates. But the GSR's attempted correction causes it to overestimate rates. This…

Colleges and universities face pressure to maintain enrollments in a time of demographic shifts in the college-going population and reductions in state funding. One indicator of successfully maintaining enrollments is the percentage of accepted students who matriculate--the enrollment yield. Factors known to contribute to yield include school…

Scrutiny of intercollegiate athletics has intensified in recent years. This study compares student-athletes with those of non-athletes in terms of their engagement in effective educational practices. Contrary to many reports in the popular media, the findings from this study indicate that, on balance, student-athletes across a large number of…

Federal law mandates that universities reveal their graduation rates purportedly to inform policy makers and constituencies about efforts to support educational attainment for students and athletes. These rates are widely used to compare universities. Analysis of 10 years of graduation rates across all major athletic programs concludes that…

Student-athletes were studied over 4 years at a highly selective liberal arts college and an Ivy League university. Students spending 10 or more hours per week in athletic activities had lower entering academic credentials and academic self-assessments than non-athletes, but the academic performance of athletes was not below what would be expected…

A national study found that since 1979, winning a national championship in football or men's basketball results in increases in applications for undergraduate admission in years following the championship. This was found both in absolute numbers and in comparison with schools not winning championships. Institutional data are charted. (Author/MSE)

A study of 2,392 freshman in 23 diverse two- and four-year colleges in 16 states found a number of variables associated with students' internal attribution at the end of the first college year. Variables included college type (two- vs. four-year), exposure to postsecondary education, work responsibilities, course organization, instructional…