The NCAA issued a report on Wednesday that pointed to data showing that student athletes who transfer multiple times have a lower rate of graduating than those who stay with one school for their entire collegiate career.
The report used data from around 36,000 Division I student-athletes during a six-year period who began college in the 2018-19 academic year, with 88 percent of those who did not transfer graduating within the time frame.
Meanwhile, those who transferred more than once saw a 71 percent graduation rate.
But a deeper look at the report showed glaring discrepancies across race, with Black student athletes seeing sharp drops once they transferred, with 82 percent graduating with no transfers, 74 percent with one transfer and the figure dropped to 62 percent with more than one regardless of sport.
And despite race, gender or sport, transfers scored at least 10 percentage points lower when it came to finishing school than those who did not switch institutions.
“This data should serve as a flashing red warning sign that the court-imposed transfer rules are resulting in worse academic outcomes for many student-athletes,” NCAA president Charlie Baker said. “But thankfully Congress is closer than ever to passing a bill to reverse this trend.”
Some football players saw a massive decrease, with FBS players representing a 28 percent decline in graduation rates of transfers over players that stayed. For those players in the smaller-school Championship Subdivision, the figure was at 21 percent.
In women’s basketball, transfer players dropped from 90 percent to 77 percent for multiple transfers, with men’s basketball seeing a surprising rise in graduation rates for those who transferred once at 80 percent over the 74 percent for those who remained. But the figure dropped to 67 percent for multiple transfers.
“Overall, the findings underscore the importance of considering the potential academic implications of multiple transfers,” the report said. “The NCAA will continue to monitor academic progress and degree completion rates, while encouraging schools to provide student-athletes with the support needed to stay on track toward earning their degrees.”
Wednesday’s report comes at a time when the NCAA has tightened its eligibility rules for the current academic year and now requires student-athletes to complete their collegiate athletic careers within a five-year period. And just one transfer is permitted under the new guidelines.
But the organization has faced opposition and numerous lawsuits over the rule change, which was announced in June as part of a move toward sweeping reforms in college sports over how teams are funded, NIL and eligibility.
Last week, the NCAA landed a major legal victory when a federal appeals court in Colorado ruled that an injunction tied to an antitrust lawsuit against the governing body would be overturned, blocking class of 2022 athletes from gaining a fifth year of play.
