Rockhurst University Earns NCAA Presidents’ Award for 14th Straight Year

Rockhurst University has received the NCAA Presidents' Award for Academic Excellence for achieving four-year Academic Success Rates of 90% or higher for the 14th consecutive year.

Forty-three Division II member schools are recipients of the Presidents' Award for Academic Excellence. The award recognizes achievement in the Division II Academic Success Rate, a measure of six-year graduate rates that includes transfers into a school in the calculation and removes those who transferred out of the school while academically eligible. 

Rockhurst finished with a 92% ASR in 2023-24, which ranks in a tie for 12th among NCAA Division II institutions. Rockhurst led the Great Lakes Valley Conference and all Division II schools in Missouri and Kansas.

"We are pleased to be awarded the prestigious NCAA President's Award for Academic Excellence. Each year, we celebrate this accomplishment, but we also recognize how impressive it is to sustain this long-term academic success over 14 consecutive years," said RU Director of Athletics Kristy Bayer.

Of the 14 men's and women's athletic programs measured at Rockhurst University for the report, seven posted an academic success rate of 100%, and the ASR in every program was measured at 76% and above.

According to the NCAA, “Even when using the less-inclusive federal graduation rate, student-athletes are outperforming their peers in the general student population by 6 percentage points. For Division II student-athletes, the federal rate is 59%, while the general student body federal rate is 53%.”

"We continue to recruit top notch student-athletes," Bayer added. "These students are fostered by an amazing group of Rockhurst faculty and staff who guide them throughout their academic and campus experience. I am always appreciative of our coaches who understand the Rockhurst mission and values, and who care for their students on and off the playing field."