The University of Hawaii graduates fewer of football players than most of the 64 teams headed to major college bowl games, according to a study released yesterday by The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport (TIDES) at the University of Central Florida.

According to a table of graduation success rates for each of the bowl bound teams, only 45 percent of UH football players graduate within six years of entering the university. Only 38 percent of African-American players graduate, compared to 57 percent for white football players, the study reports.

For athletes in all sports, Hawaii’s overall graduation rate is 65 percent. The data are for the 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 academic years, the latest available.

The group reports:

The APR holds each team accountable for the success of student-athletes in the classroom and their progression towards graduation. Individual teams are penalized if they fall below an APR score of 925, which is an expected graduation rate of 50 percent of its student-athletes. As of now, scholarship reductions are the only penalties: up to 10 percent of scholarships can be taken away. Over time, historical penalties will be put into place for schools who continue to fall below the 925 APR. Of the 17 teams below the 925 score this year, only Hawaii will be subject to contemporaneous penalties by the NCAA.

This story was reported by the Chronicle of Higher Education, which notes: “Hawaii, which enjoyed an undefeated season, had the lowest academic-progress score of any team.”