Tales from the FAR Side

Dr. Marcy H. Towns Professor, Department of Chemistry   Dr. Phillip J. VanFossen James F. Ackerman Distinguished Professor of Social Studies Education, Department of Curriculum and Instruction

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue Athletics has an exciting new campaign: Only the Strong. How does that campaign relate to student-athletes and academics at Purdue? Across campus and on the field, court, pitch, mat, and pool there are new freshmen faces. How did these student-athletes get here? What are the NCAA academic requirements for student-athletes and how do those relate to academic requirements Purdue?
 
It may not be a surprise that Purdue has more rigorous academic requirements for freshmen admission than the NCAA as shown in Table 1 below. Purdue's strong science, technology, engineering, agriculture, and mathematics undergraduate programs have resulted in admissions criteria for all students that requires a greater number of semesters of high school mathematics and laboratory-based science coursework. Additionally, Purdue's admission criteria requires a greater number of semesters of social studies and specifies (at minimum) four semesters of foreign language. As president Mitch Daniels noted recently, Purdue welcomed the most academically well-prepared incoming class in the university's history. Because our incoming student-athletes are part of the academic success of this class, they are able to enhance their own academic and athletic experience by rubbing elbows with other outstanding, ambitious students.
 
Table 1: A comparison of high school coursework requirements between Purdue University for all students and the NCAA for student-athletes.

Course Work	Purdue Requirement (high school semesters)	NCAA Requirement (high school semesters)
English	8	8
Math	8	6 (algebra 1 or higher)
Natural/Physical Science	6 (2 semesters lab based)	4 (2 semesters lab based)
Foreign Language	4	*no specific requirement
Social Studies	6	4
Other		2 additional semesters of English, math, or natural/physical science,.
		8 additional semesters of English, math, or natural/physical science, social science, foreign language, comparative religion or philosophy

 
 
Once a student-athlete is admitted to Purdue, he or she may enroll in any major for which they are qualified, and expectations for student-athletes are the same as for all Purdue students. For example, many majors require mathematics as part of the plan of study, and it's illustrative to take a look at the qualifying scores required for placement into specific mathematics courses. Students who are admitted into First-Year Engineering or the College of Science, for example, take calculus as their first math course. A student may be placed into a calculus course by achieving a required score on the SAT Math (670) or ACT Math (29), or by achieving a suitable score on a mathematics placement test.
 
Once a student begins at Purdue, the NCAA's progress-towards-degree requirements guide student-athletes toward an on-time graduation. These requirements define a specific number of hours be passed each year, as defined by the student's degree program. Purdue's academic requirements for all students and its probation policy also support the goal of graduation. For freshmen, student-athletes must complete 24 hours prior to the second year of enrollment. In Division 1, 40 percent of the required coursework for a degree must be completed by the end of the second year, 60 percent by the end of the third and 80 percent by the end of the fourth. The most important phrase is "required coursework for a degree" because it means that not just any course work will do – it must count towards a plan of study that culminates in a Purdue degree.
 
The mission of the Purdue athletics department is "Developing Champions, Scholars, and Citizens." To achieve its mission, the athletics department engages and inspires all constituencies to support the broader university pursuit of preeminence by attracting and retaining the very best student-athletes. As we continue the "Tales from the FAR Side" series, we will highlight specific academic achievements of our current student-athletes, as well as the many success stories of our former student-athletes. We also will provide information on the athletics academic support programs currently in place and highlight other services currently offered to Purdue's student-athletes.

PREVIOUS TALES
Sept. 1, 2018: Meet the Purdue Faculty Athletics Representatives