Saint Anselm receives Presidents' Award for Academic Excellence

INDIANAPOLIS – The strong academic achievements of Saint Anselm College student-athletes were once again reflected in recently-released data from the NCAA.

Saint Anselm produced a 92% success rate among student-athletes who entered the College from 2012-15 to rank 21st out of more than 300 NCAA Division II athletics programs in the country. Furthermore, the Hawks collectively posted a federal graduation rate (FGR) that is ranked 15th nationally.

As a result, Saint Anselm captured the Presidents' Award for Academic Excellence, issued by the NCAA to Division II schools that have achieved an Academic Success Rate of 90% or higher. This year, 43 member schools earned this honor. The Northeast-10 Conference led the division with eight athletics programs achieving scores of 90% or more. 

Last year, Saint Anselm set an institutional record with a 94% academic success rate (ASR), a metric that measures the graduation rate of student-athletes, regardless of athletic scholarship status, who enrolled from 2012 through 2015, the four years covered in the most recent data.

Among Northeast-10 Conference colleges and universities, Saint Anselm ranks fourth in overall federal graduation rate (80%) and fifth in academic success rate (92%). For the third-straight time, the NE10 reached 89% as a conference in ASR, according to the most recent four-year compilation of graduation rates.

Saint Anselm's academic success rate was helped by perfect scores of 100% from seven sports teams, including women's basketball, field hockey, women's lacrosse, softball, women's soccer, women's tennis and women's cross country. Out of the 15 varsity sports programs eligible for the report, 12 of those had an ASR over 90%.

The field hockey team has posted a perfect 100% ASR since its varsity inception in 2001. Women's tennis posted a 100% ASR and FGR for the 2012-15 cohort.