Division II’s academic philosophy calls for a comprehensive program of learning and development in a personal setting. The size of many Division II campuses (89% of Division II schools have enrollments of fewer than 7,500 students) fosters that personal setting.
 
Just as student-athletes choose to focus more on their education, Division II colleges and universities create infrastructures that put education first with low student-professor ratios and supportive coaches. Division II also requires a day off per week from athletics activities during the student-athlete’s competitive season.
 
As with all NCAA colleges and universities, student-athletes at Division II schools are required to meet specified academic standards to practice and compete in athletics. These benchmarks are called initial-eligibility standards — a combination of core courses and GPA — for incoming freshmen and transfer students. There are also progress-toward-degree standards that current Division II student-athletes must meet to remain eligible for athletics participation.
 
These criteria ensure that student-athletes are prepared for the rigors of college coursework and are on a path to graduate throughout their college experience. (These standards are outlined more specifically at the NCAA Eligibility Center website, where all college-bound student-athletes seeking to participate at Division I or II schools must register.) 

Division II student-athletes consistently graduate at rates several percentage points higher than their student body counterparts. Data from 2020 shows Division II student-athletes graduate at a rate nearly 10% higher than the general student body.