NCAA approves higher standards

INDIANAPOLIS -- The NCAA is wasting no time in imposing higher academic standards for college athletes.

One day after university presidents talked about making changes, the governing body's board of directors approved a measure Thursday to raise the historical Academic Progress Rate cutline from 900 to 930. The APR is a calculation for each team at each school and determines whether student-athletes are making enough progress toward graduation.

Teams that previously fell below the 925 mark would receive a warning letter that they could face stronger penalties if they continued to fall below the mark.

A handful of teams have been given postseason bans for consistently substandard scores, the harshest sanction imposed so far. University presidents, however, thought raising the cutline would push athletes to achieve more in the classroom.