Southwest Tightens Rules on Academics

Southwest Conference presidents Sunday enacted the stiffest academic requirements for athletes in the league’s 76-year history.

The policy, set to take effect next fall pending review by conference lawyers, goes beyond the NCAA’s standards. It requires recruits and walk-ons to score at least 700 on the SAT or 18 on the ACT college entrance exams and to have at least a 2.0 high school grade-point average in core classes. Failure to meet those requirements upon enrollment would disqualify athletes from competing during any remaining years at the school.

Current policy requires student-athletes who do not meet both benchmarks to sit out for the first year, but allows students three years of athletic eligibility if grades improve.