Academics | 12/4/2020 11:41:00 AM

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 91 for the 2013 six-year cohort, the NCAA released this week.

The Bucs had seven of 12 programs top the 90 percent mark, including women's golf and womens' tennis which both posted perfect 100 percent rates.

"The Presidents' Award for Academic Excellence recognizes Division II member schools for their commitment to a balanced college experience that supports the academic success of college athletes," said Sandra Jordan, chancellor of the University of South Carolina Aiken and chair of the Division II Presidents Council. "Ten more institutions earned this award than last year, setting an all-time high for this program, but most importantly, this means college athletes at these schools are achieving academic success that will benefit them for the rest of their lives."

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. In November, the NCAA announced that SSC member institutions combined for an ASR of 86-percent for the 10th 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 2010 through 2013.

Division II student-athletes continue to graduate at a higher rate than the general student body. Even when using the less-inclusive federal graduation rate, the 2013 entering class of student-athletes graduated at a rate of 62%, compared with 53% for the general student body.