[doug]

The answer is yes, the Ivies do lower their standards for athletes but probably less than other D-I schools.  I have been watching Ivy sports for a few years now -- I have a daughter who is an athlete at Brown -- and my impression is that the Ivies who lower their standards the most are not the ones you might expect.  Although I don't have hard data, my sense is that Harvard (not all sports but only those they really care about), Yale and Princeton are among the Ivies who care the most about sports and will lower their standards the most (comparing the rest of the student body with athletes).  Brown and Columbia seem to care the least and probably compromise their standards the least, in my opinion.

[doug]

The answer is yes, the Ivies do lower their standards for athletes but probably less than other D-I schools.  I have been watching Ivy sports for a few years now -- I have a daughter who is an athlete at Brown -- and my impression is that the Ivies who lower their standards the most are not the ones you might expect.  Although I don't have hard data, my sense is that Harvard (not all sports but only those they really care about), Yale and Princeton are among the Ivies who care the most about sports and will lower their standards the most (comparing the rest of the student body with athletes).  Brown and Columbia seem to care the least and probably compromise their standards the least, in my opinion.