A recent National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) report shows improved retention rates for Catawba College athletes.

The NCAA report released late this summer indicates that all students athletes, both male and female, who entered Catawba as freshmen in the 1997-98 academic year persisted to graduate from the institution six years later at a rate of 71 percent.     This figure represents a 10% improvement over the four-year average graduation rate for athletes.

Approximately 30 percent of all students at Catawba participate in one of the institution’s 17 NCAA sports.   These student-athletes traditionally have performed well academically, earning slightly higher grade point averages than their non-athletic peers.

This NCAA report follows news that a successful First Year Experience at Catawba is part of the reason for an increase in the freshmen to sophomore retention rate at the College.   That rate increased to 76 percent this fall, the highest overall freshmen to sophomore retention rate recorded at the college in over 30 years. The First Year Experience is designed to help freshmen students make a successful transition from high school to college.

 A recent National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) report shows improved retention rates for Catawba College athletes.

The NCAA report released late this summer indicates that all students athletes, both male and female, who entered Catawba as freshmen in the 1997-98 academic year persisted to graduate from the institution six years later at a rate of 71 percent.     This figure represents a 10% improvement over the four-year average graduation rate for athletes.

Approximately 30 percent of all students at Catawba participate in one of the institution’s 17 NCAA sports.   These student-athletes traditionally have performed well academically, earning slightly higher grade point averages than their non-athletic peers.

This NCAA report follows news that a successful First Year Experience at Catawba is part of the reason for an increase in the freshmen to sophomore retention rate at the College.   That rate increased to 76 percent this fall, the highest overall freshmen to sophomore retention rate recorded at the college in over 30 years. The First Year Experience is designed to help freshmen students make a successful transition from high school to college.