NCAA: College athletes breaking records in graduation rates

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) College athletes continue to graduate at record rates.

The most recent data collected by the NCAA and released Wednesday shows an all-time high 86 percent of athletes from the 2008-09 freshmen class earned degrees within six years. That's up 2 percentage points from last year's record one-year high.

The four-year number also improved by a percentage point to 83 percent, breaking last year's record.

Critics contend the federal numbers are more accurate than the NCAA-generated Graduation Success Rate, which includes transfer students who earn diplomas at other schools. But the federal statistics show a similar trend, with a one-percentage point jump to an all-time high of 67 percent, while 65 percent of non-athletes graduate over the same time.