ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Many University of Michigan athletes appear to have been steered to courses taught by a veteran psychology professor — sometimes to boost grade-point averages to keep them eligible to compete, The Ann Arbor News reported Sunday.

University records obtained by the newspaper in its seven-month investigation show John Hagen, 67, has taught at least 294 independent study courses from the fall 2004 to fall 2007, and 85 percent of those courses were with athletes.

Quarterback Chad Henne, wideout Mario Manningham, hockey player Chad Kolarik and softball ace Jennie Ritter were among the Wolverines who have taken the independent studies with Hagen, a self-described fan and season-ticket holder for men's basketball and football who serves on the school's advisory board for intercollegiate athletics.

Since August 2006, university officials twice have examined whether Hagen's courses meet Michigan's academic standards but found his coursework legitimate and worthy.

"This is the kind of faculty experience we aspire to provide for all of our students," said Terry McDonald, dean of the College of Literature, Science and the Arts.

Still, the newspaper reported athletes were steered to Hagen's courses by counselors, in some cases earning three or four credits for meeting with Hagen for as little as 15 minutes every two weeks. The amount of time some athletes said they spent on independent study work fell short of guidelines listed on the psychology department's Web site.

Phil Hanlon, a vice provost of the university, told The Associated Press on Sunday that one of the examinations was performed by an executive committee of the psychology department in response to questions raised by another professor.

He said the report found that "the content of these courses is appropriate for psychology academic course credit."

Hagen initially denied teaching a high percentage of independent study classes to athletes, but did not dispute the accuracy of class enrollment lists. He disagreed with claims that his courses were sometimes used by academic support staff to boost the grade-point averages of athletes in danger of becoming academically ineligible to compete.

"If I thought that, I wouldn't do it," said Hagen, who has taught at Michigan since 1965. I mean, that's ridiculous. I've worked too hard to get where I am."

The newspaper analyzed transcripts from 29 current or former athletes. Of those, 21 took 32 graded courses from Hagen. They averaged 3.62 in his courses, compared with an overall grade-point average of 2.57 in the athletes' other classes.

Hanlon said the psychology department committee's report concluded Hagen's grades were consistent with the grading of the entire department in their independent study courses.

Independent studies traditionally are one-on-one courses arranged between a professor and a student to cover subject matter that isn't available as a university course. They can involve small groups of students.

Hanlon said independent studies are widely sought by all students, with almost 4,000 offered last year.

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On the Net:

University of Michigan: http://www.umich.edu

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Information from: The Ann Arbor News, http://www.mlive.com/aanews