May 12, 2016 06:08 AM EDT By Mariel Hemingway, UniversityHerald Reporter

The University of California supports financial aid and more protection for college student athletes. The university panelists approved a policy that will protect and enable student athletes to continue with their schooling if they ever get injured and ousted from the team through financial aid.

There is a high-injury rate among students who participate in high-profile college sports. This is very rampant among college football and basketball players who incidentally have low graduation rates as well. Those who do get injured and ousted from their team lose their scholarship and drop out instead. The University of California approved a policy to help student athletes continue with their schooling if they can no longer continue playing due to an injury, ABC News reported.

However, the passing of the 2012 state law that requires universities in California to continue to support former athletes has assuaged the situation. University of California panelists have decided to extend the support over to other universities in the state. Joining UC Berkeley and UCLA, student athletes in UC Irvine, Riverside, Davis, San Diego and Santa Barbara will be receiving the same kind of protection. The financial aid support will also be extended until the injured athlete has completed a degree.

The proposed policy is still pending approval from the Board of Regents. Furthermore, student athletes who are eligible for the financial aid are those who are currently receiving athletic merit scholarships in Division I and Division II programs, CBS Local noted.

The policy is aimed at raising the low graduation rates of student athletes as well as improves their academic performances. Additionally, it will also help student athletes focus on their studies as sports practice will only be limited to 20 hours a week, SacBee.com shared.

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