NORTH ATTLEBORO, Mass. – The NCAA's release of Academic Success Rate (ASR) data on Thursday reaffirmed the Northeast 10 Conference's commitment to outstanding academic performance, as the league ranked second in all of Division II with an 87% ASR overall - 10 percentage points higher than the national average. 

For the seventh-straight year, the NE10 reached at least 87% as a conference in ASR, according to the most recent four-year compilation of graduation rates. The NE10 is still the first Division II league to ever hit the 89% mark, which it accomplished for three consecutive years from 2020 through 2022. 

Since the four-year calculation of ASR began 17 years ago, the NE10 has dominated in this area across the Division II landscape – evident in the fact that the conference has finished first or tied for first among all Division II conferences in six of the past nine years. When examining the single-year ASR for its member institutions, the NE10 had three schools rank in the top 25, seven in the top 50 and eight in the top 100.

Overall, NE10 member institutions produced a total of 4,168 graduates among 4,789 student-athletes who enrolled during the four-year period of 2015-18. Among the 10 current institutions, eight of them recorded a single-year ASR of 80 or better.

The NCAA annually releases the Division II ASR, a model developed 21 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. 

"Our institutions prioritze academic achievement and I am thrilled to see that commitment continuously recognized year-after-year in the ASR data," said NE10 Commissioner Julie Ruppert. "The NE10 has long been a Division II leader in this area and the data makes it clear that our institutions are striving toward excellence in both the student-athlete experience and higher education. The incredible faculty members and student-athletes in our league make this possible. It is an achievement we cannot take for granted, as it requires the hard work of so many dedicated individuals." 

Bentley led all NE10 schools with a 98% ASR, which was tied for third among all of Division II. Saint Michael's tied for sixth at 95%. Joining Bentley and Saint Michael's at over 90% was Assumption (93%), Adelphi (91%), Southern New Hampshire (91%), Pace (90%) and Saint Anselm (90%), giving the NE10 seven institutions that have received the NCAA Presidents' Award for Academic Excellence - the most among all Division II conferences. Overall, just 43 Division II institutions achieved a 90% or higher. 

The NE10 saw two institutions improve upon their percentage from a year ago – with both Assumption and Southern Connecticut increasing by one percentage point. 

Bentley had 12 programs earn a perfect ASR of 100%, leading all NE10 institutions. Adelphi had seven programs earn perfect scores. In total, the NE10 had 50 programs with a 100% ASR. When broken down by sport, the Conference saw 23 of its 24 sponsored sports achieve an ASR of 80% or better - with 11 of them achieving 90% or higher. 

NE10 field hockey had seven programs - including associate member Molloy - record a perfect ASR, while women's basketball, women's lacrosse and softball each had six. 

The overall sport leader in the NE10 was women's lacrosse at 98%, while field hockey and women's tennis were at 96%. Leading all men's programs was men's tennis at 95%, with ice hockey at 92%.

ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 10 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.
 
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