ACADEMIC SUPPORT FOR ATHLETICS

Collage of athletic teams

Our mission in the Office of Academic Support for Athletics (OAS) is to provide supplemental academic support for all varsity student-athletes at Villanova in a manner that addresses their unique academic needs.

OAS reports to the Office of the Provost and acts as a liaison between the campus community and the Department of Athletics.


WHAT WE DO

At Villanova, each student-athlete receives primary academic advising from the assigned faculty or academic advisor in his or her home college.

Academic progress is monitored constantly to ensure that NCAA and University rules and regulations are met and progress is being made toward graduation.

Upon their arrival to Villanova, every freshman varsity student-athlete is assigned an athletic advisor in OAS and is required to meet with them regularly beginning in the fall semester. After freshman year, upperclassmen may continue meetings by choice or at the recommendation of the OAS athletic advisor or coach.

Athletic advisors monitor academic progress, assist with developing organizational and time management skills, focus on goal setting, and support student-athletes' transitions at Villanova.

Academic reports are available for the head coaches as updates on each student-athlete's academic progress.

Peer-to-peer tutoring for student-athletes was created in order to provide supplemental instruction to classroom lectures for student-athletes at Villanova University. For many student-athletes, the tutoring is a fundamental component of their academic needs and helps them achieve their academic goals. All student-athletes have the convenience of requesting free tutorial support. In order to schedule a tutoring session, student-athletes should access the Varsity Student-Athlete Tutoring schedule in WConline.  

Our study hall program provides an efficient and comfortable learning environment for ALL student-athletes at Villanova University. The study hall facility serves as an after-hours extension of the Office of Academic Support for Athletics, where student-athletes have the opportunity for quiet study and meetings with tutors or the staff writing tutors.

Study hall is located in the Norton Family Theater Team Meeting Room. The Team Meeting Room is WiFi-equipped with a quiet study area and dry-erase boards.

The Team Meeting Room also houses the Tutorial Assistance Program between 4-10 p.m., Sunday through Thursday. Writing tutors are also available at the Team Meeting Room Sunday-Thursday evenings from 7-10 p.m. to assist student-athletes.

Study Hall Hours of Operation

Sunday-Thursday: 4-10 p.m.
Friday-Saturday: Closed

Location: The Norton Family Theater Team Meeting Room is located in the Andrew J. Talley Athletic Center, directly across from the trophy display in the main lobby. All student-athletes must swipe in and leave their Wildcard with the monitor upon entering the facility.

There is a direct correlation between classroom attendance and academic success. Accordingly, class attendance is mandatory for all student-athletes. If a student-athlete must miss class due to participation in any Varsity contest, the athlete is to notify the professor before the absence.

Student-athletes are encouraged to notify each of their professors at the beginning of the term of classes he/she will miss during the semester due to Varsity competition. Student-athletes are responsible for completing any class work missed during absences including homework, assignments, projects, term papers and/or tests.

Athletics-Related Missed Class Procedure

OAS will send travel letters to all classes and professors for varsity athletics-related travel and competition prior to departure and competition using the Athletics’ Teamworks platform.

OAS serves as a secondary advisor to student-athletes by assisting in scheduling required courses that do not conflict with practice times and competitions. Student-athletes are provided an earlier registration time to ensure that all student-athletes meet NCAA Academic Eligibility requirements and remain in compliance with required practice, training, and competition schedules, while still maintaining progress toward graduation.

OAS works in conjunction with Athletics Compliance and the University Registrar's Office to monitor academic eligibility of all student-athletes.

Wildcat Workshops are a workshop series sponsored jointly by OAS and Student-Athlete Development, with goals to focus on academic and professional growth, and mental health and well-being.

Workshops are held in the Student-Athlete Lounge and will highlight a resource, office, or department on campus, though at times, outside resources are featured. Workshops usually occur once or twice per month each semester.

Past workshops include:

  • Resume and cover letter writing
  • Interviewing and networking skills
  • Searching for internships and jobs
  • Graduate and law school options
  • On-campus student support resources
  • Financial literacy
  • Business and Engineering minor/summer programs
  • Summer study abroad options
  • Networking and professional headshots
  • Healthy snack options
  • Health foods for busy schedules
  • Maximizing nutrition for athletic performance
  • Therapy animals
  • Yoga

BY THE NUMBERS

3.437

Department GPA for
Fall 2023 Semester

99%

2023 NCAA Graduation Success Rate
Ranks in the top five for all Division I Institutions.

54%

Of student-athletes earned a 3.5+ GPA in Fall 2023

52%

Of student-athletes in the class of 2023 graduated with Honors

41

Consecutive semesters with an average
student-athlete GPA greater than 3.0

ALL 24

teams have a cumulative GPA greater than 3.0

FOR CURRENT STUDENT-ATHLETES

  • We recommend scheduling an appointment with your assigned OAS Athletic Advisor
  • Computers and printing are available in the Student-Athlete Lounge in the Talley Athletic Center, 2nd Floor (room 241). The printer is set up with vPrint. You may upload documents with vPrint from anywhere on campus and then scan your wildcard on the card reader on the top of the printer to access your account and uploaded documents.  
  • Student-athletes can schedule tutoring via WCONLINE. If you do not have a WCONLINE account you will need to create one using your Villanova email address.

Advisement

All student-athletes have a primary academic advisor in their home college with whom they are required to meet with prior to each registration process. Student-athletes can find the name of their academic advisor in the Student tab of myNOVA. All student-athletes must meet with their academic advisor to receive their registration PIN in order to register for classes. 

All student-athletes are provided with an early registration time to remain in compliance with NCAA academic eligibility and progress towards degree rules.

Master Schedule of Classes

Before registration appointment times, student-athletes are encouraged to check the Master Schedule of Classes for open sections of courses.  

Registration

After consulting with their academic advisor and checking the availability of open sections, student-athletes can register for the upcoming semester. To register:

  • Login to myNOVA
  • Select 'Login to Register' from the dashboard
  • Choose the appropriate term and enter registration PIN
  • Register for courses

OAS Registration Assistance

The Office of Academic Support for Athletics serves as a secondary advisor to student-athletes during the scheduling process by assisting in scheduling required courses that minimize or eliminate conflict with practice times or athletics-related travel/competition. While OAS assists with scheduling to avoid practice and class conflicts, student-athletes are required to meet with their college/department academic advisor to discuss classes and academic plans.

Summer School

The NCAA specifies that an enrolled student-athlete may receive athletically related financial assistance to attend an institution's summer school only in the same proportion to the amount of athletically related aid received during the prior academic year. If the student-athlete did not receive athletically related aid during the prior academic year, he/she will not be provided athletically related aid during the ensuing summer term. Student-athletes who are eligible for summer school financial support must complete an authorization form which will be available in the Office of Academic Support in February. Funding for summer school is not guaranteed and proper procedure must be followed to be considered for funding. This completed form must be signed by the student-athlete's coach and approved by the Summer Funding committee.

 

Commonly-Used Athletics Sites

Helpful Registration Links

Academic Integrity

Academic Resources

 

CONTACT US

Academic Support for Athletics

Andrew J. Talley Athletic Center
Offices 161-164
Villanova, PA 19085
Email Us