The effects of collegiate athletic programs have been debated by educators for decades. Although academic achievement is almost always listed as a major goal of athletic departments, there seems to be a conflict between the goals of higher education and athletics. Concerns about the balance between academics and athletics in the collegiate setting have been expressed both inside and outside the educational environment. As athletics have become an increasingly prominent part of higher education in America, athletes as a student subpopulation have become more vulnerable to academic exploitation. As a result, the need for effective academic support programs for athletes presumes the need for accurate and useful information about their educational characteristics. This research is an exploratory study which seeks to identify the major variables impacting the academic achievement of student athletes. Using Glaser and Strauss' discovery of grounded theory methods of research, thirty-two interviews were conducted with student athletes spread among six institutions. Findings identify factors and conditions which contribute to student athletes' perceptions of academic assistance. The study attempts to explain the relationship among these variables and how they facilitate or impede the academic progress of student athletes. Information from the research serves as a basis to form an integrated theoretical framework to explain how various factors affect student athletes' academic achievement. / Ed. D.