The NCAA released an update celebrating the growing influence of Hispanic/Latino student-athletes during Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15 – Oct. 15), highlighting significant increases in their participation and academic success across all three divisions.
Overall Message: Significant Growth and Academic Success
- Overall Participation: As of the 2024-25 academic year, there are 38,654 Hispanic/Latino student-athletes, representing 7% of the total student-athlete population.
- Growth Trend: Their participation has risen by 62% over the past decade (a one-year increase of 4.6%).
- Division Breakdown: Division III has the highest total number of Hispanic/Latino student-athletes (15,912, or 41.2% of the total Hispanic/Latino population), while Division II has the highest percentage of its student-athletes who are Hispanic/Latino (7.8%).
- Academic Achievement: The Division I Graduation Success Rate (GSR) for Hispanic/Latino student-athletes is 89%, marking a 7 percentage point increase over the last decade.
Focus on Golf
The data shows a strong upward trend in participation for men’s golf among Hispanic/Latino student-athletes, signaling it as a key growth area for the sport:
- One-Year Percentage Growth: Men’s golf saw a 13.7% increase in participation from the 2023-24 to 2024-25 academic year, placing it second among all men’s sports for percentage growth in the last year.
- Five-Year Percentage Growth: The most dramatic growth is seen over a five-year period, with men’s golf participation increasing by 45.9% (2024-25 vs. 2019-20), ranking it number one for percentage growth among all men’s sports in that time frame.
- Note: Men’s golf was not listed among the top five sports for total participation numbers or highest overall percentage of Hispanic/Latino student-athletes, indicating the growth is from a smaller base but is rapidly accelerating. Women’s golf was not specifically highlighted in the top growth or participation categories.