Many Division I-level schools have a strong commitment to their student-athletes. Spending way over six times the amount of money per athlete than a non-athlete. At these colleges, they provide tutoring, a study hall, and other academic resources to athletes to enable them to do well in the classroom. For example, they receive dedicated academic advising, priority tutoring, and priority registration at most schools. However, many of these same resources are not going to students, or if they are, they are not to the same extent. At Merrimack College, there is a high focus on academic support and growth, however, there are limited resources for students to access. National reporting shows that athletic spending continues to increase at a significantly higher rate than what is being spent on traditional students. 

The tutoring available is limited to some subjects, mostly writing and math, which has led to many students in the nursing program and education program to create clubs to help each other along. The nursing club is designed to help new students adjust to the workload and help them understand what they are learning. While the education club is to better prepare students for when they go out to student teach. It should not come to the students responsibiltiy to create academic resources so that they can succeed. The barriers to academic resources lead to worse grades and students struggling to understand what they are learning in class. Research shows that tutoring increases students' understanding of content learned and academic confidence.

Other similar schools, like Stonehill and Assumption, use peer tutoring as a way to help students in their learning. These tutors have already taken the courses that students struggle with and can give them advice on how to best go through the semester. With these resources that the students are able to access, there will be an increase in grades across all majors. This would boost Merrimack's academic standing and be beneficial for them as well. Merrimack College’s president, Dr. Christopher E. Hopey, needs to create a stronger academic support center that incorporates peer tutoring to limit the board support that students receive compared to athletes.