NCAA ASR Release
Summary/Databases for Division II ASR

 Bentley and Saint Michael's Tie For First Among All Division II Institutions.

MANSFIELD, Mass. – It is one thing to succeed; it is another to maintain that success. On Thursday afternoon, the NCAA released its annual Academic Success Rate (ASR) data and the Northeast-10 Conference is leading all of Division II for the fifth-straight year.

The NE10 reached 89% as a conference in ASR for the second-consecutive year in the most recent four-year compilation of graduation rates, matching the Division II record it set last year. Additionally, the Conference has either set or matched DII records in ASR for three-straight years – including a then-record 88% in 2019.

Since the four-year calculation of ASR began 13 years ago, the NE10 has dominated in this area across the Division II landscape – which is most evident in the fact that the league finished 13 percentage points higher in 2021 than the national average of 76%. This includes the national average increasing by two percentage points this year.

The NCAA annually releases the Division II ASR, a model developed 17 years ago at the request of presidents of Division II institutions to overcome inadequacies with the Federal Graduation Rate (FGR). The FGR only takes into account student-athletes that receive athletically related aid, leaving large numbers of DII student-athletes out of the calculation. Because of Division II's partial scholarship financial aid model, the ASR was created to include non-scholarship student-athletes who enrolled from 2011 through 2014, the four years covered in the most recent data.

Overall, NE10 member institutions produced a total of 5,235 graduates among 5,851 student-athletes who enrolled during the four-year period of 2011-14. The numbers are based on the Conference's 2021-22 membership, which includes 14 institutions – 12 of which recorded a single-year ASR of 80 or better.

"I couldn't be more proud of our NE10 institutions and their commitment to academic excellence," said NE10 Commissioner Julie Ruppert. "Setting or matching a Division II record in three-straight years for ASR is something we cannot take for granted. It comes only with the hard work and dedication of our institutions, faculty and most of all, our outstanding student-athletes. The ASR data serves as a reminder of how the NE10 continues to embrace every aspect of the student-athlete experience. We are proud to be the Division II leader in this category."

It is the fifth-straight year that the NE10 has ranked first or tied for first among all Division II conferences – and the eighth time in the last nine years overall. When examining the single-year ASR for its member institutions, the NE10 had six schools rank in the Top 25, eight in the top 50 and 12 in the top 100.

Bentley and Saint Michael's tied in ASR at 99%, the best among more than 300 Division II institutions. It is the fourth-straight year that Bentley has recorded a 99% ASR and the fifth-straight time it has ranked first in Division II. For Saint Michael's, it is the school's fourth-time as the Division II leader in 12 years, while it reached the 99% mark for the first time in a decade (2011).

Le Moyne joins Bentley and Saint Michael's in the Top 10 with a 96% rate, which is tied for sixth among Division II institutions. It is a remarkable jump of five percentage points for the Dolphins, who came in at 91% one year ago.

Saint Anselm (94%), Adelphi (92%) and Stonehill (92%) rank among the Top 25, while Assumption (91%) and Southern New Hampshire (90%) will also receive the NCAA Presidents' Award for Academic Excellence by cracking the 90% threshold.

Saint Michael's had 16 programs earn a perfect ASR of 100%, which is the 10^th-straight season that the Purple Knights have led all NE10 institutions in that metric. Bentley had 15 programs achieve perfect ASR scores, while Southern New Hampshire had nine.

The NE10 saw nine of its institutions improve upon their percentage from a year ago – led by Le Moyne's five-percent jump and followed by Saint Anselm's four-percent increase. Pace (87%), Franklin Pierce (86%) and American International (75%) each improved by three percentage points.

In total, NE10 institutions recorded 88 programs with a perfect ASR – accounting for more than one-third of all programs in the conference. The NE10 had 23 of its 24 sponsored sports achieve an ASR of 80% or better, as well as 16 of them tally a remarkable 90% or higher.

Women's basketball had a league-best 11 programs record a perfect ASR, while volleyball followed with nine, and field hockey and women's tennis each had eight. Men's cross country and golf had five teams achieve perfect ASR, the most among men's sports in the NE10.

Overall sport leaders in the NE10 were field hockey, women's lacrosse, women's swimming & diving and women's tennis, who all achieved a 97% ASR. Ice hockey led all men's programs at 92%.

ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 14 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.

Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.