The Presidents' Award for Academic Excellence has been awarded to 43 Division II schools that have achieved an Academic Success Rate of 90% or higher.
Emmanuel (Georgia) was the top performer, earning an ASR of 100%, followed by Hillsdale with an ASR of 99%. Bentley and Rollins each earned an ASR of 98%, and Augustana (South Dakota) rounded out the top five with an ASR of 96%.
The Northeast-10 Conference led the division with seven athletics programs achieving scores of 90% or more, followed by the Sunshine State Conference with six.
"The Presidents' Award for Academic Excellence highlights what makes Division II truly distinctive — our unwavering commitment to the full success of our student-athletes," said Colleen Perry Keith, president at Goldey-Beacom College and president of the Division II Executive Board. "Achieving a 90 percent Academic Success Rate is an extraordinary accomplishment, and these 43 institutions exemplify the balance of academic achievement, competitive excellence and personal growth that defines Division II. I am especially proud of the sustained dedication shown by the schools that have earned this honor year after year. Their consistency reflects a deep, campuswide commitment to ensuring that student-athletes are supported, challenged and prepared for life well beyond graduation."
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, student-athletes are outperforming their peers in the general student population by five percentage points. For Division II student-athletes, the federal rate is 58%, while the general student body federal rate is 53%.
This is the 15th year the award has been given. Seven schools have earned the award every year: Assumption, Bentley, Eckerd, Hillsdale, Rockhurst, Rollins and Saint Michael's.
| Institution |
Conference |
ASR |
| Adelphi University |
Northeast-10 Conference |
91% |
| Assumption University |
Northeast-10 Conference |
93% |
| Augustana University (South Dakota) |
Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference |
96% |
| Bentley University |
Northeast-10 Conference |
98% |
| Biola University |
Pacific West Conference |
92% |
| Cedarville University |
Great Midwest Athletic Conference |
91% |
| Chestnut Hill College |
Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference |
90% |
| Concordia University, St. Paul |
Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference |
93% |
| Dominican University of California |
Pacific West Conference |
95% |
| D'Youville University |
East Coast Conference |
91% |
| Eckerd College |
Sunshine State Conference |
90% |
| Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Florida) |
Sunshine State Conference |
91% |
| Emmanuel University (Georgia) |
Conference Carolinas |
100% |
| Flagler College |
Peach Belt Conference |
91% |
| Florida Institute of Technology |
Sunshine State Conference |
92% |
| Florida Southern College |
Sunshine State Conference |
92% |
| Georgia College |
Peach Belt Conference |
93% |
| Hillsdale College |
Great Midwest Athletic Conference |
99% |
| Holy Family University |
Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference |
91% |
| Lake Superior State University |
Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference |
90% |
| Maryville University of Saint Louis |
Great Lakes Valley Conference |
90% |
| Mercy University |
East Coast Conference |
95% |
| Michigan Technological University |
Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference |
92% |
| Molloy University |
East Coast Conference |
92% |
| Northwest Nazarene University |
Great Northwest Athletic Conference |
93% |
| Nova Southeastern University |
Sunshine State Conference |
91% |
| Oklahoma Christian University |
Lone Star Conference |
92% |
| Pace University |
Northeast-10 Conference |
90% |
| Point Loma Nazarene University |
Pacific West Conference |
95% |
| Rockhurst University |
Great Lakes Valley Conference |
92% |
| Rollins College |
Sunshine State Conference |
98% |
| Saint Anselm College |
Northeast-10 Conference |
90% |
| Saint Michael's College |
Northeast-10 Conference |
95% |
| Seton Hill University |
Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference |
93% |
| Southern New Hampshire University |
Northeast-10 Conference |
91% |
| Texas Woman's University |
Lone Star Conference |
90% |
| Thomas Jefferson University |
Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference |
94% |
| Trevecca Nazarene University |
Gulf South Conference |
94% |
| University of Bridgeport |
Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference |
92% |
| University of Illinois Springfield |
Great Lakes Valley Conference |
90% |
| University of Minnesota, Crookston |
Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference |
91% |
| University of Texas at Dallas* |
Lone Star Conference |
91% |
| Westmont College |
Pacific West Conference |
92% |
*Reclassifying Member, Year 2 of two-year expedited membership process
