Akron's Alston awards policy provides payments to basketball players

Akron announced in February that it will start compensating its athletes through Academic Achievement Awards starting in the fall of 2023. A university news release cited “a generous gift from an anonymous donor.”

Akron’s Academic Achievement Awards are a relatively new form of compensation in college athletics, in addition to name, image and likeness opportunities, that are informally referred to as Alston awards. In June 2021, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled 9-0 in favor of the plaintiffs in NCAA v. Alston.

Former West Virginia running back Shawne Alston was the namesake plaintiff in a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in 2014. The lawsuit challenged the NCAA’s rules regarding education-related benefits, arguing that they violated antitrust law.

Ultimately, the Supreme Court unanimously agreed years later.

NCAA member institutions can compensate an athlete up to $5,980 annually through Alston awards. The NCAA determined that amount is the most an individual athlete “could receive in an academic year in participation, championship or special achievement awards.”

Each athletic department can determine if, how and to whom it provides Alston awards. However, some decisions are made at the conference level.

“Providing Academic Achievement Awards for the basketball programs aligns with our vision to implement a comprehensive championship experience for UA student-athletes,” Akron athletic director Charles Guthrie said in a statement. “I want to thank our Senior Associate Athletic Director Camden Stockton for securing the gift commitment from key donors and Senior Associate Athletic Director Jackie Wallgren for developing a comprehensive program to assist in facilitating awards to our basketball student-athletes.”

Akron’s Academic Achievement Awards policy

Akron’s Academic Achievement Awards policy states that in order for athletes to qualify for the awards, they must be a scholarship member of the Zips’ men’s or women’s basketball team during the semester.

On3 obtained a copy of Akron’s Academic Achievement Awards policy through a public records request.

Akron isn’t the only school to focus on compensating basketball players first through Alston awards. The Big East mandated the availability of Alston awards for its member schools’ basketball players starting in the 2022-23 academic year.

Additionally, Akron athletes must have remained in good standing with the team and university, including remaining academically eligible to compete. If an athlete pleads guilty to any criminal offense or is found responsible for any violations of Akron’s student code of conduct, or academic integrity, Title IX or gender-based misconduct policies, then the athlete will no longer be in good standing.

Akron athletes also have to have remained eligible through the completion of final exams the previous semester.

Zips athletes must have earned both the eligibility and retention points, as calculated for the team’s Academic Progress Rate (APR), for the semester.

If an athlete provides written notice of the athlete’s intent to transfer, then the athlete is no longer eligible for the awards.

Here’s how much athletes at Akron can earn

Akron’s Academic Achievement Awards policy says athletes who meet the qualifying criteria while maintaining a GPA of at least 2.0 will earn $250 for the semester. Athletes who earn a GPA of at least 3.0 will earn $500 per semester.

However, if an athlete meets the criteria and enrolled as a post-baccalaureate or graduate student, then the athlete will receive $500 per semester by earning a 2.0 GPA or higher for the semester and $1,000 by earning a 3.0 GPA or higher.

Akron also offers what it calls graduation awards through its Academic Achievement Awards policy.

Athletes who haven’t yet graduated with their first bachelor’s degree can earn an amount equal to their semester award that will be saved for a maximum of four years or eight semesters. When the athlete graduates, the athlete will receive the amount the athlete had earned from the graduation awards.

To earn graduation awards, Akron athletes must either graduate while a member of their team or graduate after exhausting their eligibility within their five-year eligibility clock and leave the team in good standing.

The most an athlete can earn through graduation awards is $4,000.

Akron’s Academic Achievement Awards policy says payments will be processed in mid-October for awards earned in the spring semester and mid-March for awards earned in the fall.

Here you can read On3’s guide to Alston awards, which includes institutional policies from around the country.