Dominican Scores In Top 10 Nationally For NCAA Academic Award

Dominican University of California is ranked in the top 10 schools nationally to receive the NCAA Presidents' Award for Academic Excellence. Dominican is the only NCAA Division II school in Northern California on this year’s list.

The award is presented annually to NCAA Division II schools that have achieved a four-cohort Academic Success Rate (ASR) of 90% or higher.

Dominican is one of 44 NCAA Division II member institutions awarded the 2022 Presidents' Award for Academic Excellence. The NCAA and the federal government measure time to graduate within a six-year window of first-time enrollment. Thus, the graduation rates for the 2012-2015 cohorts would have been reported from 2019 to 2022.

It is the fifth consecutive year that Dominican Athletics has been honored with this award by the NCAA.

“The credit for this continued award goes to our coaching staff. They are the ones out pounding the pavement and finding these amazing student-athletes who want to compete in not only their sport but also in the classroom,” says Dominican Director of Athletics Amy Henkelman.

“Thank you to administration, faculty, and staff for their support. It truly takes a village to find this kind of success.”

The ASR is measured by the successful completion of a degree by an individual within a six-year window of first-time enrollment. Dominican tied for ninth nationally with an ASR of 94%. Only five schools in the west region received the honor this season, with Biola and Point Loma Nazarene University joining the Penguins as PacWest representatives. Seattle Pacific and Western Washington represent the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.

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

Dominican, a member of the Pacific West Conference, currently sponsors 13 NCAA sports and two intercollegiate clubs.