Study: NCAA women’s tournament teams have higher graduation rates than men’s programs

Study: Women’s teams outperform men in grad rates

ORLANDO, Fla. — A new study shows players on the teams headed to the NCAA women’s tournament are graduating at a higher rate than those in the men’s field.

An annual report released Tuesday by The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at the University of Central Florida also finds that the graduation gap between white and black players is smaller for women than it is for men.

There were 19 women’s teams that had a 100 percent graduation rate compared to six men’s teams. And 51 women’s teams graduated at least 70 percent of their players compared to 29 men’s teams.

The numbers measure six-year graduation rates for the freshman classes that entered college from the 1999-2000 through the 2002-03 school years. The report relies on information from the NCAA.