INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Florida Tech's Department of Athletics received the NCAA Presidents' Award for Academic Excellence after posting a 92-percent Academic Success Rate for scholar-athletes graduating within six years of eligibility for the incoming class of 2017.
The Panthers were one of 44 schools and just one of five Sunshine State Conference schools to be present on the list where Tech finished in the top 12 of all Division II institutions.
"Receiving the NCAA Presidents' Award for Academic Excellence for the second consecutive year is a tremendous honor for Florida Tech," said Jamie Joss, Director of Athletics. "Our 92-percent Academic Success Rate showcases the exceptional commitment of our scholar-athletes and the unwavering support of our faculty, staff, and coaches.
"This achievement reflects our holistic approach to scholar-athlete development, emphasizing that athletic prowess and academic excellence align with our athletic mission of developing diverse athletes into scholars, champions, and leaders. We're incredibly proud of our scholar-athletes dedication and the support of our entire academic and athletic community in making this possible."
The NCAA Academic Success Rate (ASR) is the percentage of scholar-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.
This is the second consecutive year the Panthers have appeared on the NCAA DII ASR list after a previous 12-year hiatus. Nine Florida Tech sports have achieved 90 percent or above, with volleyball and softball leading the way with 100 percent. Baseball and women's lacrosse follow closely with 96 percent, followed by women's basketball (95), women's swimming (94), men's cross-country and track (92), and men's swimming (90).
Florida Tech was joined by Eckerd College, Florida Southern, Lynn University and Rollins College as the only five SSC institutions on the 2024 list.
NCAA Division II announced that the Sunshine State Conference once again leads the nation in Academic Success Rate. SSC member institutions and scholar-athletes earned a record-breaking 90 percent ASR, besting the conference's and NCAA's all-time high of 89 percent achieved in 2023.
About the Academic Success Rate
Academic Success Rate is the percentage of scholar-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.
The Division II ASR includes transfers into a school in the calculation and removes those who transferred out of the school while academically eligible. The ASR also includes over 30,000 nonscholarship student-athletes in the division who were enrolled in the four years covered in the most recent data.
Even when using the less-inclusive federal graduation rate, scholar-athletes are outperforming their peers in the general student population by six percentage points. For Division II student-athletes, the federal rate is 59-percent, while the general student body federal rate is 53-percent.
2024 Presidents' Award Recipients
| Institution |
Conference |
ASR |
| Hillsdale College |
Great Midwest Athletic Conference |
99% |
| Bentley University |
Northeast-10 Conference |
98% |
| Saint Michael's College |
Northeast-10 Conference |
97% |
| Thomas Jefferson University |
Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference |
97% |
| Rollins College |
Sunshine State Conference |
96% |
| Biola University |
Pacific West Conference |
95% |
| Dominican University of California |
Pacific West Conference |
95% |
| Augustana University (South Dakota) |
Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference |
94% |
| Cedarville University |
Great Midwest Athletic Conference |
93% |
| Concordia University, St. Paul |
Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference |
93% |
| Trevecca Nazarene University |
Gulf South Conference |
93% |
| Assumption University |
Northeast-10 Conference |
92% |
| D'Youville University |
East Coast Conference |
92% |
| Florida Tech |
Sunshine State Conference |
92% |
| Florida Southern College |
Sunshine State Conference |
92% |
| Georgia College |
Peach Belt Conference |
92% |
| Goldey-Beacom College |
Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference |
92% |
| Holy Family University |
Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference |
92% |
| Mercy University |
East Coast Conference |
92% |
| Michigan Technological University |
Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference |
92% |
| Oklahoma Christian University |
Lone Star Conference |
92% |
| Point Loma Nazarene University |
Pacific West Conference |
92% |
| Rockhurst University |
Great Lakes Valley Conference |
92% |
| Seton Hill University |
Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference |
92% |
| Southern New Hampshire University |
Northeast-10 Conference |
92% |
| University of Texas at Dallas |
Lone Star Conference |
92% |
| Westmont College |
Pacific West Conference |
92% |
| Adelphi University |
Northeast-10 Conference |
91% |
| Caldwell University |
Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference |
91% |
| Chestnut Hill College |
Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference |
91% |
| Eckerd College |
Sunshine State Conference |
91% |
| Emmanuel University (Georgia) |
Conference Carolinas |
91% |
| Flagler College |
Peach Belt Conference |
91% |
| Pace University |
Northeast-10 Conference |
91% |
| Saint Anselm College |
Northeast-10 Conference |
91% |
| University of Illinois Springfield |
Great Lakes Valley Conference |
91% |
| Barry University |
Sunshine State Conference |
90% |
| Colorado School of Mines |
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference |
90% |
| Lewis University |
Great Lakes Valley Conference |
90% |
| Lynn University |
Sunshine State Conference |
90% |
| Maryville University of Saint Louis |
Great Lakes Valley Conference |
90% |
| Molloy University |
East Coast Conference |
90% |
| University of Minnesota, Crookston |
Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference |
90% |
| Western Washington University |
Great Northwest Athletic Conference |
90% |
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