WALTHAM, Mass. – For the sixth consecutive year, Bentley University sports the highest Academic Success Rate in Division II, according to the NCAA.

Bentley received an ASR of 99 for the sixth year in a row and was one of only three institutions to achieve that lofty ranking this year, an accomplishment it shared with St. Michael's College and Biola University (Cal.). This also marks the ninth straight year that Bentley has achieved an ASR of 97 or better and the 12^th consecutive in which it has been above 90.

"Bentley student-athletes continue to be a force to be reckoned with in the classroom and beyond" said J. Andrew Shepardson, Vice President for Student Affairs. "For six years they have led the nation in the NCAA Academic Success Report.  All of us at Bentley are proud of their continued commitment to excellence."

Of the 19 Bentley sports that were evaluated (indoor track, outdoor track and cross country are considered one sport), 13 achieved perfect 100 percent ASR scores for the cohort 2012-15. They are baseball, women's basketball, men's and women's cross country and track, men's golf, men's and women's lacrosse, women's soccer, softball, women's swimming, men's and women's tennis, and volleyball.

Since the NCAA began to compile ASR data 17 years ago, the golf, men's tennis, women's swimming and women's tennis teams have had a 100 rating every year. Other current streaks include 11 consecutive years for men's lacrosse, and ten in a row for women's basketball, women's cross country and track, softball, women's soccer and volleyball.

In addition, Bentley's Division I hockey team had a graduation success rate of 100, one of 16 nationally to do so.

"Being ranked number one in Division II in academic success rate is a tremendous tribute to Bentley University, our professors, our student-athletes and their dedication to succeeding in the classroom," said Director of Athletics Vaughn Williams. "To achieve that for six years running is truly an incredible feat. What a great accomplishment!"

Bentley's rate is significantly above the national standard. The national four-year ASR average remained even at76 percent.

Bentley's federal graduation rate was up one point to 92 percent, best nationally among Division II institutions and seventh among all institutions. The only institutions ahead of Bentley are Pratt Institute, Dean College, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Saint Lawrence University, Northwestern and Stanford.

Bentley and St. Michael's weren't the only Northeast-10 Conference institution to rank high in ASR. The conference had six in the top 25, eight in the top 50 and 11 in the top 100. For the sixth straight year, the Northeast-10 ranked first among all Division II conferences with an ASR of 89 percent.

This is the 17th year the NCAA has released the ASR, which is the percentage of student-athletes who graduate within six years of initial enrollment at a college. The NCAA developed the Division II ASR at the request of college and university presidents who believed the federal graduation rate was flawed. Division II's ASR data takes transfer students into account and removes students who left the institution in good academic standing.  In addition, given the partial-scholarship financial aid model of Division II, the ASR data includes student-athletes not on athletically related financial aid. The result is that ASR captures approximately 30,000 non-scholarship student-athletes who enrolled from 2012 through 2015, the four years covered in the most recent data.

Even when utilizing the less-inclusive federal rate, Division II student-athletes perform significantly better than the general student body. The federal rate for Division II student-athletes in the 2015 entering class remained at 60 percent, while the general student body stayed at 52 percent, a difference of eight points.

NCAA DIVISION II ACADEMIC SUCCESS RATE – TOP 10

1. Bentley University – 99
1. Saint Michael's College (Vt.) – 99
1. Biola University (Calif.) – 99
4. Hillsdale College (Mich.) –  98
5. Thomas Jefferson University (Pa.) – 97
5. Trevecca Nazarene (Tenn.) – 97
7. Le Moyne College (N.Y.) –  95
7. Rollins College (Fla.) – 95
7. University of the Sciences (Pa.) – 95
10. Maryville University of St. Louis – 94
10. Michigan Technological University – 94
10. Caldwell University (N.J.) – 94
10. Georgia College – 94
10. Rockhurst University (Mo.) – 94
10. Dominican University of California – 94
10. Cedarville University – 94