GPAS

Researchers in the Netherlands report that children who get more exercise, whether at school or on their own, 26 tend to have higher GPAs and better scores on standardized tests.

And anything that raises GPAs will likely make students—who, at the end of the day, are paying the bill—feel they've gotten a better value for their tuition dollars, which is another big concern for colleges.

But another, related force—a policy often buried deep in course catalogs called "grade forgiveness"—is helping raise GPAs.

Grade inflation—the gradual increase in average GPAs grade—point averages over the past few decades—is often considered a product of a consumer era in higher education, in which students are treated like customers to be pleased.