The NCAA Division I board of directors has unanimously approved higher academic requirements for student-athletes, with the threat of postseason bans for teams that fall below a certain standard.
Come fall, the NCAA will also consider boosting academic requirements for incoming freshmen.
Under the new rule, the NCAA will use the Academic Progress Rate calculation, which takes into account the number of student-athletes who graduate, transfer, and drop out. Previously, teams that fell below an APR of 900, which represented a 40 percent graduation rate, risked a postseason ban. With the new rule, to be phased in, teams must exceed an APR of 930, averaged over four years—which represents a roughly 50 percent graduation rate—to participate in the postseason.
