INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - Florida Tech, Barry University, Eckerd College, Florida Southern College, and Rollins College lead the Sunshine State Conference with NCAA Division II Academic Success Rates (ASR) of 90 percent or better. Tech finished with a 92% four-year ASR. Nearly all student-athletes from these institutions' 2013-16 cohort graduated within six years of original enrollment.
The NCAA
Academic Success Rate (ASR) is the percentage of student-athletes who graduate within six years of initial college enrollment and includes virtually all Division II student-athletes, including transfers and those not receiving athletic scholarships.
SEE ALSO: NCAA Announces SSC as Top Conference in Academic Success Rate in 2023
As part of the Division II Presidents' Award for Academic Excellence program, now in its 13th year, Florida Tech, Barry, Eckerd, Florida Southern, and Rollins, along with 39 other Division II institutions, will be honored for achieving four-year ASRs of 90 percent or higher.
"Congratulations to the 44 schools who have earned this prestigious award," said Steven Shirley, president of Minot State and chair of the Division II Presidents Council. "It takes a collective effort from the student-athletes, coaches, university and athletic administrators to earn an Academic Success Rate of 90% or higher, and I'm very excited to recognize these schools."
The Northeast-10 Conference, Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference, and Sunshine State Conference boast five or more athletics programs with ASRs of 90 percent or higher. Earlier in December, the NCAA announced that SSC member institutions combined for an NCAA ASR record of 89 percent. A mark that places the SSC first among the 23 Division II leagues.
The Division II ASR also captures about 40 percent more college athletes than the federal graduation rate. Unlike the Federal Graduation Rate, the ASR also counts student-athletes who transfer to a school after initial enrollment elsewhere and removes from the rate student-athletes who leave school while academically eligible. The national ASR is 76 percent for student-athletes who entered college from 2013 through 2016.
Regardless of which measure is used, Division II college athletes graduate at a higher rate than the general student body. The federal rate for the 2016 entering class of student-athletes was 60 percent, compared to 53 percent for the general student body.
2023 Presidents' Award Recipients
| Institution |
Conference |
Four-Year ASR |
| Bentley University |
Northeast-10 Conference |
99% |
| Saint Michael's College |
Northeast-10 Conference |
99% |
| Biola University |
Pacific West Conference |
98% |
| D'Youville University |
East Coast Conference |
98% |
| Hillsdale College |
Great Midwest Athletic Conference |
98% |
| Thomas Jefferson University |
Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference |
98% |
| Rollins College |
Sunshine State Conference |
96% |
| Cedarville University |
Great Midwest Athletic Conference |
95% |
| Caldwell University |
Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference |
94% |
| Dominican University of California |
Pacific West Conference |
94% |
| Emory & Henry College |
South Atlantic Conference |
94% |
| Georgia College |
Peach Belt Conference |
94% |
| Mercy University |
East Coast Conference |
94% |
| Michigan Technological University |
Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference |
94% |
| Rockhurst University |
Great Lakes Valley Conference |
94% |
| Seattle Pacific University |
Great Northwest Athletic Conference |
94% |
| Trevecca Nazarene University |
Great Midwest Athletic Conference |
94% |
| Concordia University, St. Paul |
Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference |
93% |
| Holy Family University |
Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference |
93% |
| Lewis University |
Great Lakes Valley Conference |
93% |
| Barry University |
Sunshine State Conference |
92% |
| Eckerd College |
Sunshine State Conference |
92% |
| Florida Tech |
Sunshine State Conference |
92% |
| Florida Southern College |
Sunshine State Conference |
92% |
| Point Loma Nazarene University |
Pacific West Conference |
92% |
| Saint Anselm College |
Northeast-10 Conference |
92% |
| Adelphi University |
Northeast-10 Conference |
91% |
| Assumption University |
Northeast-10 Conference |
91% |
| Augustana University (South Dakota) |
Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference |
91% |
| Colorado Christian University |
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference |
91% |
| Colorado School of Mines |
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference |
91% |
| Davis & Elkins College |
Mountain East Conference |
91% |
| Flagler College |
Peach Belt Conference |
91% |
| Goldey-Beacom College |
Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference |
91% |
| Southern New Hampshire University |
Northeast-10 Conference |
91% |
| Truman State University |
Great Lakes Valley Conference |
91% |
| Western Washington University |
Great Northwest Athletic Conference |
91% |
| Chestnut Hill College |
Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference |
90% |
| Maryville University of Saint Louis |
Great Lakes Valley Conference |
90% |
| Molloy University |
East Coast Conference |
90% |
| Pace University |
Northeast-10 Conference |
90% |
| Saint Martin's University |
Great Northwest Athletic Conference |
90% |
| St. Edward's University |
Lone Star Conference |
90% |
| University of Minnesota, Crookston |
Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference |
90% |
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