During the recruiting process, it's easy to get caught up in asking all the right questions about college sports. But what about college academics? Today, we answer three common questions about the brainy side of college athletics.

1.)   What sort of academic support is provided to student-athletes during team travel?

The level will vary from college to college, but most programs do offer some form of academic support. For most colleges, the athlete will be responsible for letting their professors know what days they will be missing during the semester due to competitions. They will then have to follow-up with the professor a week before the day is missed. From there, they often receive information they will miss from the professor or another student in the class. If the athlete is missing an exam, the professor will usually either require them to take it early, take it when they return from their game, or take it on the road with a proctor. Additionally, some top DI athletes will have designated note-takers assigned to them. Since they miss so many classes, this allows them to still be successful in their courses. 

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2.)   Are college athletes allowed to take online classes?

Yes they are. Many athletes will take online classes over the summer or winter in order to lighten their workload in the fall and spring semester. The only concern with online classes is time-management. Oftentimes the courses require the student to be very on top of their work. If they slack off, they can get behind and struggle in the course. So taking online classes is a double-edged sword: taking them can allow the athlete to be more flexible with their workload, but it can also be more difficult to learn online as opposed to face-to-face with a professor. 

Related: How Be A Student-Minded College Athlete: 9 Tips From Director of Academics Edward Lowery

3.)   Do college athletes get priority registration for classes?

Yes, this is true for most universities. The specifics depend on the university and their guidelines. For instance, at the University of Delaware, college athletes receive priority above other students in their academic year until their junior year. At this point juniors will have high priority, and they will often have the ability to get into any classes they need. 

Most programs are granted this registration priority for two reasons. First, college athletes are required to commit a significant amount of time preparing for and participating in university-sponsored athletic events and priority scheduling will permit athletes greater flexibility in scheduling courses. Secondly, NCAA progress towards degree bylaws require athletes entering their 3rd year of full time enrollment to have completed 40% of their degree, entering 4th year of full time enrollment to have completed 60% of their degree, and entering 5th year of full time enrollment to have completed 80% of their degree. Scheduling first allows them to get into more classes to help work towards their degree. 

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* Originally published on January 5, 2023, by 2aDays Staff