ORLANDO, Fla. — Black college athletes are graduating at higher rates than in the past.

A study released Monday says the Graduation Success Rate (GSR) for black athletes is 62 percent, up from 59 percent in 2006. The report comes from The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at the University of Central Florida.

The NCAA uses the GSR to measure graduation rates.

The GSR for black football players in the top division rose from 54 to 58 percent. It increased from 49 to 54 percent for men's basketball players and from 71 to 76 percent in women's basketball.

Federal graduation rates for black athletes improved from 35 percent for students entering school in 1984 to 53 percent for those entering in 2001. The federal rates use a different formula than the GSR.