INDIANAPOLIS (Dec. 19, 2022) - This afternoon the NCAA released list of schools earning the 2022 Presidents' Award for Academic Excellence. The Presidents' Award for Academic Excellence is awarded to Division II schools that have achieved a four-cohort Academic Success Rate of 90% or higher. For the fourth time in the history of the program, Georgian Court was honored with the award.

The Lions were one of 44 this year to earn the Presidents' Award, the most ever in the history of the award. 

"I am excited to honor and recognize the 44 schools for this prestigious award," said Steven Shirley, president of Minot State and chair of the Division II Presidents Council. "It is a testament to their hard work, commitment and dedication to achieving academic excellence."

The Division II ASR includes transfers into a school in the calculation and removes those who transferred out while academically eligible. The ASR also includes the more than 30,000 nonscholarship student-athletes who were enrolled in the four years covered in the most recent data.

Even when using the less-inclusive federal graduation rate, student-athletes are outperforming their peers in the general student population by 8 percentage points. For Division II student-athletes, the federal rate is 60%, while the general student body federal rate is 52%.

Georgian Court is one of five Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference schools to earn the award this year. It's the Lions first Presidents' Award since 2015 and their fourth overall.