College football success and its impact on academic standards
Universities in the United States spend millions of dollars on athletic programs each year while at the same time programs for adult learners are being under funded. Football teams, in particular, are the most expensive teams to maintain because of the number of players and the equipment they use. While many of the top teams in the nation generate large amounts of monies for their institutions, many more schools are operating at a loss. In addition to generating funds, often times successful football programs also give schools a lot of exposure. This study examined the questions of as a result of this national exposure, do schools receive an increase in admissions applications of both traditional aged and non-traditional aged after a football program does well? ^ After analyzing my research, I determined that an appearance in a BCS game does in fact result in an increase in admission applications and a reduction of the school's acceptance rate. However, even though schools are being more selective, they are not enrolling better students. Non-traditional aged student enrollment is, in several cases, negatively impacted by the success of the football team. Results are individualized, but as a result of my study it does not appear that institutions receive secondary benefits from having a successful football team.^
Education, Adult and Continuing|Education, Higher|Recreation
"College football success and its impact on academic standards"
Dissertations and Master's Theses (Campus Access).