Biola University is one of the top six NCAA Division II schools to earn the Presidents’ Award for Academic Excellence, earning a 98% in Academic Success Rate (ASR) for student athletes. The award is given to schools who have an ASR of 90% or higher. Biola is one of 44 member schools to earn the honor this year.

“We are grateful for the recognition of our student-athletes,” said Dr. Bethany Miller, senior director of athletics at Biola. “Our coaches and faculty continually emphasize the importance of academic achievement. Every year in Biola's NCAA Division II membership, we have received the President's Award for Academic Excellence. Because our vision at Biola is to see every student empowered, transformed and thriving, receiving the highest level of academic award within NCAA Division II is an outcome marker that helps us see the whole-person development of our student-athletes being realized.”

This year, Biola helped form the top six alongside Bentley, Saint Michael's, D'Youville, Hillsdale and Thomas Jefferson University, each earning an ASR of 98% or higher. Biola tied for second place in DII. Last year, Biola was in first for DII, third in 2021, fifth in 2020 and fourth in 2019.

"Congratulations to the 44 schools who have earned this prestigious award," said Steven Shirley, president of Minot State and chair of the Division II Presidents Council. "It takes a collective effort from the student-athletes, coaches, university and athletic administrators to earn an Academic Success Rate of 90% or higher, and I'm very excited to recognize these schools.”

Biola requires all of its 394 student-athletes to participate in specifically curated study hall times based on GPA and other criteria, even in off seasons. The purpose of the study hall policy is to aid the student-athlete in developing a regular routine where the appropriate amount of time is set aside each week to devote to studying and academic success.

“The spiritual development, academic success, and competitive excellence — and in that order — of our student-athletes at Biola is why we do what we do,” said Miller. “We have structures in place such as study halls, policies about substantive learning when student-athletes miss class for in-season competition, exam proctoring on the road, and other processes to support our student-athletes in achieving the learning outcomes for their majors to be prepared for their careers upon graduation. It has been a gift to see our student-athletes thrive in this area!”

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

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