NCAA athletes rise in graduation rates

INDIANAPOLIS, Oct. 15 (UPI) -- A new NCAA report shows Division I student-athletes are graduating at the highest rates ever.

The most recent data compiled by the collegiate governing body says 79 percent of freshmen student-athletes who entered college in 2001 earned their bachelor's degrees.

The time limit was six years from initial collegiate enrollment and the rate included an overall emphasis on academics.

When calculating graduation rates using the federal government's methodology, minus transfer students, Division I student-athletes had a 64 percent graduation rate, the highest federal rate ever.

The national average among all students was 78 percent, with both rates up 1 percent from the previous year.

"Nearly eight out of 10 Division I student-athletes are finishing college and earning their degrees," NCAA President Myles Brand said in a statement on the NCAA Web site. "This is extremely good news. The trend lines are moving in the right direction. We still have work to do and can't declare victory just yet."