Current Student-Athletes
More than 460,000 NCAA student-athletes – more than ever before – compete in 23 sports every year. Slightly more than half of those student-athletes are men, although the gap between the numbers of male and female student-athletes has decreased over time and there are currently more women’s teams than men’s teams.
Our members support their student-athletes’ academic success by providing state-of-the-art technology, tutoring and access to academic advisors. More than eight out of 10 student-athletes will earn a bachelor’s degree, and more than 35 percent will earn a postgraduate degree.
Graduation rates for student-athletes as a group are higher than those of their peers in the general student body. Two-thirds of former student-athletes agree that playing an NCAA sport helped prepare them for life after graduation. In addition to practicing, competing and studying, student-athletes give back to their communities through volunteer service and national charity partnerships.