Play for grades at big-time sports schools.(Newswatch)

Nearly three dozen universities award academic credit for playing on varsity sports teams, according to a Washington Post survey. Of the top 25 football teams on the Associated Press list, 11 have players earning academic credit for practicing, including defending co-national champ Southern Carolina.

The pay-for-grades classes demonstrate the challenge of reconciling academic goals with athletics at universities.

In April NCAA President Myles Brand announced reforms that he called "the strongest ever passed by the NCAA." But the existence of such classes surprised many administrators, including Brand. "I don't know the situations at the schools you're talking about," he said. "I'd worry about it. I'm surprised ... These schools need to look very carefully at these courses to make sure they're legitimate."

The survey found that classes are offered for nearly all intercollegiate sports. Most lack a syllabus or an exam and often require no written work. Kansas State University does give grades for its ATHM 104, ...