Third-Straight Year that Bentley and Saint Michael's Tied at 99% ASR.
MANSFIELD, Mass. – The Northeast-10 Conference led all of Division II with seven of its institutions earning the NCAA Presidents' Award for Academic Excellence, which recognizes the schools that achieved an Academic Success Rate (ASR) of 90% or higher.
Bentley and Saint Michael's tied as top performers in ASR among all Division II institutions for the third-straight year, recording an impressive 99% ASR on their way to receiving the Presidents' Award. Saint Anselm was next up at 92%, while Adelphi (91%), Assumption (91%), Southern New Hampshire (91%) and Pace (90%) also earned the honor.
"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."
As a conference, the NE10 ranked second with an 88% ASR in 2023, which was 12 percentage points higher than the national average. The NE10 has finished first or tied for first among Division II conferences in six of the past seven years when it comes to ASR.
The NCAA annually releases the Division II ASR, a model developed 19 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.
In the 13 years that the Presidents' Award for Academic Excellence has been in existence, three NE10 schools – Assumption, Bentley and Saint Michael's – have earned the honor every year.
For the full release on NE10 institutions and ASR, click HERE.
ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 12 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.
