RELATED ARTICLE: Howard Athletes Score Perfect Gradation Rate
WASHINGTON -- Every one of the twenty-four athletes who scholarship entered Howard University in the fall of 1991 has graduated, according to the NCAA. The scholarship athletes' graduation rate is nearly twice that of all Howard students who enrolled in 1991.
With its scholarship athletes achieving a perfect graduation rate over six years, Howard is one of three schools among the NCAA's 300 Division I institutions to earn the distinction. Xavier University in Ohio had thirty scholarship athletes to graduate within six years, and the University of North Carolina-Asheville had six. The NCAA began compiling data on athletes entering as freshmen starting with those who enrolled in the fall of 1984.
Howard officials say the graduation rates of its athletes have been increasing since the data has been available. In the mid-1980s, scholarship athletes at Howard graduated at a rate lower than the rest of the student body because of poor academic performance.
Observers say that Howard coaches more recently have enforced effective studying practices among their athletes, which has helped lead to higher graduation rates. Along with employing two, full-time academic counselors and numerous tutors, the Howard athletic department supplies five laptop computers to athletes to use on road trips. -- Ronald Roach
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