Academics | 10/25/2019 4:43:00 PM

INDIANAPOLIS - Barry University Athletics continues to promote student-athlete success in the classroom as the department earned a Division II Academic Success Rate (ASR) of 92 for the 2012 six-year cohort, the NCAA released on Wednesday.

As part of the Division II Presidents' Award for Academic Excellence program, now in its ninth year, the Bucs, along with 31 other Division II institutions, will be honored for achieving four-year ASRs of 90 percent or higher. For the Bucs, it is their fifth straight year.

"The 32 schools recognized with the Presidents' Award for Academic Excellence are dedicated to supporting the academic success of student-athletes," said Gary Olson, president of Daemen and chair of the Division II Presidents Council. "What is even more remarkable, 11 of these schools have been recognized each year of this program. We commend the institutions for their commitment to academic excellence and dedication to preparing student-athletes for life after college."

The Northeast-10 Conference, Great Lakes Valley Conference, and Sunshine State Conference all boast three or more athletics programs with ASRs of 90-percent or higher. Earlier this October, the NCAA announced that SSC member institutions combined for an ASR of 86-percent for the ninth consecutive year. The mark places the SSC second among the 23 Division II leagues.

About the Academic Success Rate

Academic Success Rate is the percentage of student-athletes who graduate within six years of initial enrollment in college and includes virtually all Division II student-athletes, including transfers and those not receiving athletic scholarships.

The Division II ASR also captures about 45-percent more college athletes than the federal graduation rate. Unlike the federal graduation rate, the ASR also counts student-athletes who transfer to a school after initial enrollment elsewhere and removes from the rate student-athletes who leave school while academically eligible. The national ASR is 73-percent for student-athletes who entered college from 2009 through 2012.

Regardless of which measure is used, Division II college athletes graduate at a higher rate than the general student body. The federal rate for the 2012 entering class of student-athletes was 61-percent, compared to 52-percent for the general student body.