Trend shows more spending on athletes

To learn about what U.S. colleges and universities are spending on academic support for student-athletes, The Associated Press requested information from 65 schools in the six conferences that participate in football’s Bowl Championship Series plus independent Notre Dame.

Much of the material was requested through public information queries beginning in June. In the end, 45 schools provided some financial information.

Seventeen universities declined to provide any answers to The AP’s questions. Eleven of those schools are private. Auburn, Arizona, Clemson, Michigan, North Carolina State and Washington were the others. Four others answered some questions but did not provide financial information.

The AP looked at academic spending on athletes since NCAA officials began a push for reform that has resulted in regulations that penalize schools for failure to graduate student-athletes.

Some highlights of the information obtained by the AP:

•Twenty-six of the schools answering the query spent more than $1 million on counseling, tutoring and salaries in 2007-08, up from 14 in 2003-04.

•One school spent more than $2 million – Oklahoma at $2.4 million.

•Overall spending on academic support for student-athletes increased during the five-year period in 42 of the 45 schools that provided information.

•Twelve schools increased spending by at least 50 percent.

•Four schools more than doubled their spending during the period the AP studied. They were South Florida, Illinois, Georgia and Kansas.