MANSFIELD, Mass. – The Northeast-10 Conference once again 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 led all NE10 schools with a 98% ASR, which was second only to Hillsdale College (99%) in all of Division II. Saint Michael's was close behind, tying for third nationally at 97%. Joining Bentley and Saint Michael's at over 90% was Assumption (92%), Southern New Hampshire (92%), Adelphi (91%), Pace (91%) and Saint Anselm (91%).
"It takes a village to support student-athletes and create the balanced environment for them to thrive academically and athletically," said Jason Jones, associate athletics director for compliance at Catawba and chair of the Division II Academic Requirements Committee. "This prestigious honor recognizes 44 schools that have achieved academic excellence, and I'm thrilled to congratulate them."
As a conference, the NE10 ranked second with an 87% ASR in 2024, which was 10 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 eight years when it comes to ASR.
The NCAA annually releases the Division II ASR, a model developed 20 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 14 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 11 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.
Fans can subscribe via this link to follow NE10 NOW on FloSports this season. The partnership between the NE10 and FloSports works to provide funds back to the athletic departments of the Northeast-10 Conference in support of student-athletes while promoting the league on a national platform.