Predicting Student-Athlete Success

Student-athletes are a highly visible subgroup of students whose performance and visibility can influence the formation of an institution's image (Zimbalist, 1999). Research must continue to advance understanding of the variables that lead to student-athlete academic success in order to enhance opportunities for student-athletes, improve institutional performance, and address important national priorities for intercollegiate athletics and higher education. The purpose of this study is to identify those precollege and college experience variables that influence student-athlete success at a major Division I institution in the Southeastern United States during a three year period from 2000 to 2003. Study variables included: race; gender; residency; high school grade point average; SAT composite score; scholarship amount; classification; major; Pell Grant eligibility; GPA for each of the first three semesters; number of degree hours each of the first three semesters; number of withdrawals for each of the first three semesters; and participation in an enrichment program. Logistic regression analyses were used to test the data. The precollege variables related to residency and SES were significant predicting variables of student-athlete graduation or non-graduation within six years. Student-athletes from out-of-state were less likely to graduate than in-state student-athletes. Student-athletes from low SES backgrounds, as determined by Pell Grant eligibility, were less likely to graduate than those from higher SES backgrounds. In regard to the college experience variables, sport, more specifically golf, was a positive and significant predictor of graduation within six years. Student-athletes who declared math and science majors at enrollment were significantly less likely to graduate. Higher GPA the second term of enrollment was negatively related to student-athlete graduation within six years. Finally, the number of degree hours student-athletes enrolled in the first, second, and third term was a significant predictor of student-athlete graduation. The overall conclusion of this study is that selected precollege and college experience variables appear to influence six year graduation among student-athletes.