SAN DIEGO – For the seventh-straight year, the Sunshine State Conference posted the top NCAA Division II Academic Success Rate.
The Academic Success Rate (ASR) for all 24 Division II conferences was released at the NCAA Convention held in San Diego in January. SSC member institutions posted an ASR of 86 percent again to lead all conferences. The NCAA Division II ASR average was 71 percent.
ASR is calculated by measuring degree completion among freshmen classes over a four-year period. The most recent study focuses on those entering college from 2003-06.
“It is a special distinction for not only our conference, but for our coaches, student-athletes and administrators,” SSC Commissioner Ed Pasque said. “It speaks volumes on how dedicated our student-athletes are in the classroom.”
A total of 25 SSC teams posted a perfect 100 percent ASR, and eight of the nine member institutions had at least one program achieve a perfect mark. They include:
Barry: men’s basketball, women’s basketball, softball
Eckerd: women’s golf
Florida Southern: women’s golf
Florida Tech: men’s golf, women’s tennis
Lynn: men’s basketball, women’s golf, men’s tennis, volleyball
Nova Southeastern: men’s basketball, women’s basketball, women’s golf, women’s soccer, softball, volleyball
Rollins: women’s basketball, men’s cross country, women’s soccer, men’s swimming, women’s swimming, women’s tennis
Saint Leo: women’s tennis, volleyball
In total, 108 of the 123 conference teams (88%) that were counted for SSC member institutions exceeded the national average of 71 percent.
Every school in the SSC earned an ASR of 80 percent or higher, which puts every conference school in the top-third of NCAA Division II. Rollins was credited with the highest ASR in the SSC at 94 percent, followed by Nova Southeastern (92%) and Eckerd (90%).
Along with the NCAA Division I Graduation Success Rate (GSR), the ASR is a tool used by the NCAA to measure the academic progress of student-athletes competing within the NCAA. The NCAA developed the Division II ASR at the request of college and university presidents who believed the federal graduation rate was flawed. Both the Division I GSR and Division II ASR take into account transfer students. However, given the partial-scholarship model of Division II, the ASR also includes student-athletes not receiving athletically-related financial aid. The ASR also removes students from the cohort who left the institution while academically eligible to compete.
Below is the list of the top-10 NCAA Division II ASR conferences.
Top-10 NCAA Division II ASR Conferences
T1. Sunshine State Conference – 86%
T1. Northeast-10 Conference – 86%
3. Great Lakes Valley Conference – 81%
4. Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference – 79%
5. Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference – 78%
6. Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – 76%
7. Great Northwest Athletic Conference – 75%
8. East Coast Conference – 73%
T9. Great Midwest Athletic Conference – 72%
T9. Pacific West Conference – 72%
T9. South Atlantic Conference – 72%
