Abstract The overall importance placed on an athlete`s academic eligibility can be extremely stressful for both the coach and the student-athlete. In order to compete the athlete must remain academically eligible; thus, various academic support programs have been implemented by athletic departments as a means of maintaining eligibility and ensuring academic progress. Although these programs are vital to assisting student-athletes in accomplishing the goal of academic success, the question remains `Are they successful?` This study found that academic support programs were successful as they related to female student-athlete`s overall GPA. Yet, male student-athletes were not as successful. In fact, a significant difference was found between intercollegiate sports teams and overall GPA; interestingly, all of the female sports teams had significantly higher GPAs than did their male counterparts. It appears that academic support programs are not a `one size fits all;' male student-athletes may need a different type of program in order to achieve academic success. A standard format for study hall may not be an appropriate method for helping today`s athlete to `make the grade`.
© Copyright 2010 The Sport Journal. U.S. Sports Academy. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.