Session 10: Impacts on Student-Athletes' GPA at Northwestern College
Presentation Type
Oral
Student
Yes
Track
Other
Abstract
This project studied the impact of distance from home and other variables on GPA among students at a small, private college in the Midwest. Using data from the 2013 - 2016 cohorts, we show that distance is the largest deterrent to freshman GPA among student athletes even when compared to financial need and gender. Among student athletes, those who are from a long distance are likely to have a GPA 0.17 points lower than their counterparts who come from a short distance. We show that athletic participation alone is not a significant determinant of freshman GPA when previous academic performance and financial need are taken into consideration and held constant. Based on our findings, we suggest institutions composed of majority student athletes can expect those from a long distance to underperform compared to their short-distance counterparts in freshman GPA and therefore should be a focus when it comes to academic support more so than athletes in general.
Keywords: student-athletes, gpa, higher education
Start Date
2-8-2022 2:30 PM
End Date
2-8-2022 3:25 PM
Session 10: Impacts on Student-Athletes' GPA at Northwestern College
Pheasant Room 253 A/B
This project studied the impact of distance from home and other variables on GPA among students at a small, private college in the Midwest. Using data from the 2013 - 2016 cohorts, we show that distance is the largest deterrent to freshman GPA among student athletes even when compared to financial need and gender. Among student athletes, those who are from a long distance are likely to have a GPA 0.17 points lower than their counterparts who come from a short distance. We show that athletic participation alone is not a significant determinant of freshman GPA when previous academic performance and financial need are taken into consideration and held constant. Based on our findings, we suggest institutions composed of majority student athletes can expect those from a long distance to underperform compared to their short-distance counterparts in freshman GPA and therefore should be a focus when it comes to academic support more so than athletes in general.
Keywords: student-athletes, gpa, higher education